FINDLAY, Ohio – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team beat Findlay today (March 19) by scores of 13-2 and 16-2 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) contest.

Game 1

The Cardinals took an early four-run advantage in their half of the first inning as Ryan Ermers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II HS) tripled to left center field, scoring Kevin Dore (Kawkawlin, Mich./Bay City Western) just before Ryan Webber (Clio, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) would double to left center, knocking in Kyle O’Boyle (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS) and Ermers.  Charlie Thomas (Northville, Mich.) would single to right field, hitting in Webber to give SVSU their fourth run of the inning.  Findlay added their first run in its half of the first. 

SVSU would add three more runs in the top of the third inning as Chase Coulter (Clio, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) singled to left field, knocking in Josh Peterson (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) and Webber.  Matt Hunt (Howell, Mich.) singled to right field, scoring Thomas.  Findlay added their second and final run of the game in the bottom of the third inning.

Saginaw Valley would extend the lead to 12-2 in the top of the fifth inning as Ermers doubled to left center field, scoring Hunt before he would advance home on a balk.  Thomas would put a three-run homer over the left center field wall, scoring Peterson and Webber before Coulter would fly-out to left field, ending the five-run inning.  The Cardinals earned their final run of the game on a solo home run off the bat of Jason Potts (Hartland, Mich./Hartland HS) to give them the 13-2 victory.

Webber and Peterson both had two hits on three at bats on the game with two RBI’s as Ermers ended the game going three-for-five with two RBI’s.  Thomas had two hits on two at bats and posted four RBI’s on the afternoon.  Kevin Kerner went the distance for the Cardinals, scattering seven hits while allowing only a single earned run.

Game 2

Saginaw Valley got on scoreboard first in the second game in their half of the first inning as O’Boyle singled to left field, knocking in Ermers.  The score remained 1-0 until the fourth inning, when SVSU posted four runs as Mike VanAlst (Clio, Mich./Clio HS) hit a three-run double to center field, scoring Coulter, Thomas and Peterson.  The fourth run would come as Hunt knocked-in VanAlst.

The Cardinals had another dominant inning in the fifth as Webber singled to left field, scoring Ermers to home just before Peterson stepped to the plate, scoring O'Boyle.  A double off the bat of Thomas would score both Peterson and Webber.  VanAlst stepped up to the plate, knocking in Thomas before the end of the inning to give the Cardinals a ten run advantage at 10-0. 

Saginaw Valley added three more runs in the top of the sixth as Luke McClain hit a two-run double, scoring Kevin Corbeil (Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren De La Salle HS) and Dore.  The third run would come on a wild pitch, bringing in Corbeil. The Oilers posted their only two runs of the contest in the bottom of six.  The Cardinals posted a three-run inning in the top of the seventh as McClain doubled to left field, hitting-in Eric Burt (Saginaw, Mich. / Heritage HS).  Drew Woock (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) would then hit a two-run single to center field, scoring McClain and Corbeil to give the Cardinals the 16-2 advantage.

Ermers led the way for Saginaw Valley with three hits while O’Boyle and Thomas both had two hits.  McClain and VanAlst both posted four RBI’s on the evening.

With the pair of victories, the Cardinals move to 7-6 overall on the season and 4-0 in the GLIAC.  Saginaw Valley will return to action tomorrow as they take on Findlay in a single,  9-inning contest scheduled for 12:30 pm.