MIDLAND, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team, in a must-win situation, wrapped-up the final spot in the 2010 GLIAC Baseball Tournament following a 5-1 victory over the Northwood University Timberwolves on Sunday (May 2) at Gerace Staduim on the campus of Northwood University. The Cardinals move to 20-21 overall on the season with the victory and 16-15 in GLIAC play, while the Timberwolves end the year with a 23-26 overall record and 13-20 league record. SVSU won the season series with the Timberwolves, 3-2. SVSU edged-out Tiffin University for the #4 seed in the tournament, as the Cardinals had a .516 winning percentage in the GLIAC and Tiffin finished with a .486 mark. The tournament berth ends a two year absence for the Cardinals, who last competed in it in the 2007 season.
Northwood got on the board first, plating its only run of the contest in the bottom of the first inning. SVSU would knot things up in the top of three, though, as an RBI single by Josh Peterson (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS) scored Kyle O'Boyle (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS), who led the inning off with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chase Coulter (Clio, Mich./Powers Catholic HS).
The game would remain at 1-1 until the top of seven, when the Cardinals struck again. O'Boyle reached on an error by the right fielder, and was driven-in by Coulter on a sacrifice fly to left field, which gave SVSU a 2-1 advantage.
The Cards put up two more runs in the eighth to extend the advantage to 4-1. Ryan Ermers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II HS) followed-up a Charlie Thomas (Northville, Mich.) double with an RBI single, which scored Eric Burt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS), who pinch-ran for Thomas. The second run came as Coulter picked-up his second RBI on the day with a single down the right field line, which scored Ermers.
The fifth and final run for the Cardinals came in the top of nine, when Dustin Mayner (Gaines, Mich./Linden HS) earned an RBI following a walk, which scored Matt Hunt (Howell, Mich./Concordia University) with the bases loaded. SVSU would close things out in the ninth to finish with the 5-1 postseason-clinching victory.
Colin Coulter (Clio, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) picked-up his second win in the past week to improve to 4-1 on the season. Coulter worked 6.1 innings, allowing a single run while scattering six hits, striking-out four and walking only one Northwood batter. Carson Beauchaine (Fraser, Mich.) went the rest of the way for the Cardinals, firing 2.2 shutout innings while allowing only one hit and striking-out two.
Peterson, Thomas and O'Boyle each had two hits for the Cardinals, with Peterson adding an RBI. Coulter had one hit and a pair of RBIs.
The Cardinals host Rochester College Monday (May 3) in a non-conference doubleheader at the SVSU athletic complex to finish the regular season. The twinbill is set to begin at 1:00 pm.
SVSU will be taking-on the #1 seed Wayne State University Warriors in the first round of the 2010 GLIAC Tournament on Thursday, May 6 at 3:00 pm. The tournament is being hosted at the VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.