TOLEDO, Ohio – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program traveled to Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday afternoon to face Ohio Dominican and Lourdes. The Cardinals (24-12) picked up a pair of wins, defeating the Panthers (15-23) 14-8 and the Grey Wolves (9-27) 10-5.
Grant Richardson had a standout performance in game two, going 4-for-6 while hitting for the cycle. He scored four runs and drove in three. Lucas Mead also had a four-hit day, going 4-for-5 with four singles and a walk in game one. He added two runs scored and three RBIs.
Ryan Jarvis went 3-for-3 against Ohio Dominican with four runs scored, three RBIs, three walks, and his second home run of the season. Ben Kochany (W, 1-3) earned the win in game one, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing three hits and one walk, and striking out five. Henry Stempky (W, 2-0) started game two, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven.
SVSU totaled 25 hits, drew 23 walks, and was hit by a pitch twice over the two games.
Game One: SVSU 14, ODU 8
Jarvis opened the day with a two-run homer in the first inning to give SVSU an early lead. The bottom of the second proved challenging, as Ohio Dominican scored seven runs to take control. The Cardinals responded with three runs in the third and two in the fourth to tie the game at 7-7. Mead, Aaron Bess, Connor Cornwell, and Buck Snabes each recorded an RBI, and Austin Cicerone scored on a wild pitch.
ODU briefly regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cardinals answered immediately. SVSU put up four runs in the fifth, highlighted by RBI singles from Ethan Scheib and Jarvis. Mead added a two-RBI single to give the Cardinals an 11-8 advantage. Cicerone singled in a run in the sixth, and Cornwell drove in two more in the seventh to make it 14-8.
Will Juday started the game and allowed eight runs on six hits and four walks over four innings, striking out four. Kochany followed with four shutout innings, and Daniel Wilcome closed the game with a scoreless ninth, allowing one walk and striking out one.
Game Two: SVSU 10, LU 5
The Cardinals once again struck first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead by the third inning. Brady Carpenter hit an RBI double, followed by a sacrifice fly from Aaron Bess. Richardson then tripled in Carpenter and later scored on another sac fly.
Stempky allowed his only two runs in the fourth, but SVSU responded with two more in the fifth. Richardson doubled home Bess and then scored on a third sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6-2. He added the third leg of his cycle with a home run in the sixth.
Ethan Marshall, Drew Cooper, and Carter Woody handled the final four innings on the mound. Marshall pitched the sixth, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk, with one strikeout. Cooper worked two innings, walking one and striking out one. Woody pitched the ninth, giving up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out one.
In the eighth, the Cardinals loaded the bases after the first two batters reached and Richardson singled to complete the cycle. Ethan Rose followed with a two-run single, and Richardson scored on a groundout to cap SVSU's scoring at 10-4. Lourdes added one more in the ninth.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley baseball returns to the road this weekend for a four-game series at Davenport, beginning Thursday, April 17. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM EDT at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in Caledonia, Michigan.