UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program hosted Purdue Northwest for a GLIAC doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (19-7, 8-1 GLIAC) won 9-2 in seven innings and 14-3 in eight via the run rule against the Pride (9-12, 1-7 GLIAC). Austin Schweiger had a great day at the plate with a combined 5-for-8 performance and four RBI.
Hayden Jatczak and Reed Raymond both had three hit days with Schweiger having a two-hit performance in the 9-2 victory. Chase Raymond (W, 5-0) pitched a complete game going all seven innings and had a no-hitter broken up in the seventh. He gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits and a walk while striking out three batters.
After two scoreless innings, the Cardinals exploded for five runs in the third. An RBI single by Jatczak and Colin Cornwell followed up by a sacrifice fly by Schweiger made it 3-0. R. Raymond doubled home Cornwell before R. Raymond stole home on a delayed steal with Austin Cicerone swiping second to make it 5-0. All five runs were against the Pride starter Blake Newell (L, 1-2)
In the fifth, a throwing error scored Schweiger before Jeff Reseigh singled home Brady Carpenter to push the lead to seven. PNW scratched home a run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly, but the Cardinals responded with two runs in their half of the inning. R. Raymond had another RBI double and scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-1. An RBI single in the seventh was the last scoring play as the Pride made it 9-2 before C. Raymond recorded the final out for the win.
In game two, Scheurer went perfect at the plate with a 3-for-3 day with two walks and four runs scored. Connor McClennen had two hits in four at-bats and also scored two runs.
SVSU got the early lead in the second game with a run in the bottom of the first with a Schweiger RBI single. The Pride took their first lead of either game in the top of the third with three runs to make it 3-1. All three against the Cardinal starter Steven Hecht (W, 3-1) who pitched six innings allowing three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three.
Saginaw Valley tied it in the bottom of the third with two RBI groundouts before breaking open the game in the fourth. A Scheurer RBI single scored Jarvis before Jatczak hit his seventh home run of the season, a three-run bomb to put SVSU up 7-3.
In the eighth, the Cardinals put up a seven-spot and secured the walk-off run rule victory. Col. Cornwell doubled down the right field line to score two runs. Schweiger singled home two more to make it 10-3. Lucas Mead reached on a fielding error that scored R. Raymond and set up Ethan Rose for his two RBI double to right center to end the game 14-3.
Cardinal baseball has a week off as they prepare for a four-game series in Detroit against Wayne State (18-8, 7-2 GLIAC). A single game Friday with first pitch at 3:00 PM before a doubleheader Saturday and the final game on Saturday.
