CLEARWATER, Fla. - The SVSU baseball team lost a hard-fought contest on Tuesday (Mar. 3) to the Cedarville University Yellowjackets by a score of 10-9 despite a solid offensive performance with 12 hits.
The Cardinals, playing the role of visiting team for the game, were the first to score. SVSU plated a pair of runs in the top of the 2nd inning to grab the 2-0 lead. A Chris Perkovich double down the left field line scored Dylan Schultz, who opened the inning with a single and stole second base to move into scoring position. Connor Foley followed that two-out double with an RBI single to score Perkovich.
The Yellowjackets responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Cards added a run in the top of the 3rd to make the score 3-1 after a Brad Schalk single pushed Kyle Kaufmann across the plate.
Saginaw Valley then used a Luke Valutis RBI single to score Foley, and a Cedarville error allowed Valutis and Chad Carson to cross the plate and add three runs to take a 6-1 advantage in the top of the 4th.
Cedarville used a five-hit bottom half of the 4th to score four runs and make the score 6-5 in favor of SVSU.
SV took advantage of a Jacket error in the top of the 5th inning to add another run to its lead (7-5), as Foley singled, moved up to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a mis-play by the right fielder on a Carson fly ball.
Cedarville plated three runs in the bottom of the 5th, using a couple of Cardinal errors to its advantage to grab its first lead of the contest at 8-7.
The Cards answered right back though in the top of the 6th, getting an RBI groundout from Schalk to score Brendan Harrison, who singled to begin the inning for the first of two runs. The second came via a Demetrius Dunlap single that scored Schultz. That gave SVSU the 9-8 advantage.
CU knotted the score at 9-9 after a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th, as the Jackets took advantage of one of three SVSU errors in the game.
The home team notched another run in the bottom of the 8th to grab a 10-9 lead, using an infield single and a double to score the run.
The Cardinals got a hit from Carson right away to begin the top of the 9th, but he was thrown-out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. After a groundout, Harrison reached on an error and advanced to second on the bad throw. The scoring opportunity would not pan-out, however, as a groundout ended the threat and the Yellowjackets closed-out for the 10-9 victory.
Schalk had a pair of hits in the game with two RBIs. Foley and Valutis each added two hits with an RBI while Schultz had two base-knocks as well. Foley and Schultz each scored twice for the Cards.
Saginaw Valley falls to 3-1 overall for the 2015 campaign following the defeat while Cedarville improves to 3-2. The same two teams are back at it on Wednesday, as they play at the University of Tampa in a 2:00 pm matchup. Both have won a game so far in Florida, so Wednesday's contest will serve as the rubber match.
@SVSUBaseball #svsubsb