XENIA, Ohio – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program got back on the road with a three-game trip facing Cedarville University at Athletes in Action Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (3-2) fell with a final score of 10-5 to the Yellow Jackets (2-5).
SVSU scored three in the top of the ninth, but couldn't mount the comeback after a five spot in the eighth for CU. Brandon Scheurer was the bright spot offensively going 3-for-4 with two runs, one RBI, and a walk.
The Cardinals opened the scoring with Reed Raymond knocking an RBI single to right field that scored Scheurer in the top of the first. Cedarville knotted it up in their half of the inning on a run scoring double making it 1-1.
The Yellow Jackets took the lead in the third with an RBI single before putting up three runs in the fifth. JJ Arbini (L, 0-1) started on the mound for Saginaw Valley and went five innings allowing five runs on six hits while striking out two. After Cedarville's starter Tate Marland (W, 1-2) departed to start the sixth, the Cardinals got one run back on a Scheurer RBI single through the left side.
Ryan Adams took over in the bottom of the sixth and pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings with two strikeouts and allowing two hits. Matt Montroy relieved Adams in the seventh and finished the inning tallying a clean 0.2 innings pitched. Chase Gruno donned the mound in the eighth and after a walk, a single, and a ground out, Ben Kochany took over. The Yellow Jackets put up five runs including a two-run home run to take a 10-2 lead. Gruno finished with two earned runs through 0.1 innings pitched while Kochany gave up three runs on three hits in his 0.2 innings of work.
Down eight, Saginaw Valley put up their best offensive inning. Scheurer doubled and Ethan Rose walked and both advanced on a ground ball. Austin Schweiger tallied an RBI with a ground out to shortstop allowing Scheurer to score and Rose to move to third. Ryan Jarvis was hit by a pitch and Jaccar Watkins was walked to load the bases. Brady Carpenter stepped to the plate in a pinch-hit situation and delivered a two-run single to make it 10-5, but that was all the Cardinals could muster.
Saginaw Valley and Cedarville are back in action with a double header at Athletes in Action in Xenia, Ohio on Saturday, February 24. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 PM EST.