HILLSDALE, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team posted a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) victories at Hillsdale College on Sunday (3/27). The victories move SVSU to 6-9 overall on the season and 2-2 in GLIAC play. Hillsdale falls to 6-12 overall and 2-2 in league play.
The two victories on the day give head coach Walt Head 800 victories for his career, as he is currently in his 29th season at the helm of the program.
In the opener, Kyle O'Boyle (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS) got the Cardinals on the board first, hitting a solo home run in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. SVSU would add single runs in the next three innings and would lead by a 4-3 count after Hillsdale plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Cardinals would respond, however, with five runs in the top of seven.
Drew Woock (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) had a two RBI single to score Matt Hunt (Howell, Mich./Concordia University) and Eric Burt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS). Chet LaFave (Charlotte, Mich./Olney Central College) would then lace a double to center field that would score Ryan Ermers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II HS). Woock and LaFave would also score to make the score 9-3, which is where it would stand as the final score.
Woock had two hits with three RBI's while LaFave had a pair of doubles and an RBI. Ermers had two hits with a pair of walks while O'Boyle had three RBI's.
Mike Saunders (Mt. Morris, Mich./EA Johnson HS) improved to 2-1 on the season while working 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one earned run and striking-out five batters. Justin Drzewicki (Bay City, Mich./Central HS) picked-up his third save of the season, working the last 1 1/3 innings to close-out the contest.
In the second game, SVSU posted two runs in their half of the third inning to take an early lead. A Hunt RBI single would score Trent Brisboe (Hastings, Mich.), who walked, and an Ermers single plated Hunt two batters later. Hillsdale would score its only run of the game in the bottom of three to make the score 2-1.
Brisboe would score again in the fifth on a Charger error and Mike VanAlst (Clio, Mich.) would score in the seventh on another error after a Hunt single.
Andrew Tidwell (Canton, Mich.) came-on to shut the door and earn his first career save after pitching a scoreless seventh.
Hunt had two hits with an RBI while Ermers also had a hit with an RBI. Woock, LaFave and VanAlst each added a hit as well.
Scott Horman (St. Louis, Mich.) earned the win on the hill, pitching 5 1/3 innings while striking-out six Charger batters and improving to 1-1 on the year.
The Cardinals are back in action this weekend, as they travel to Findlay for a pair of GLIAC doubleheaders on Saturday (4/2) and Sunday (4/3).