CALEDONIA, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program continued its GLIAC series with Davenport on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (24-15, 7-8 GLIAC) fell in both games to the Panthers (28-11, 14-1 GLIAC), with final scores of 5-3 and 10-2. Game two included a lightning delay of over two hours.
Lucas Mead tallied four hits on the day, recording two hits in each game and totaling three RBI. Ryan Jarvis had a two-hit performance in game two — both doubles — and scored two runs. Jarvis also added a hit and a run in the first game.
The Cardinal pitching staff struck out 17 batters over 14 innings of work, but only Nathan Masar turned in a scoreless outing. Jack Decker (L, 8-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings in game one. Daniel Wilcome (L, 0-2) took over for JJ Arbini after the lightning delay in game two, surrendering four runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. Arbini pitched 2.2 innings in the start, allowing one unearned run.
Game One: SVSU 3, Davenport 5
Mead opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single that drove in Jarvis. Davenport quickly responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. A two-run home run gave the Panthers the lead, and a sacrifice fly extended it to 3-1.
DU added two more runs in the third inning via an RBI single and an RBI double. SVSU chipped away in the fourth, as Ethan Scheib tripled home Brady Carpenter and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
Masar took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and struck out all three batters he faced. The Cardinals, however, stranded the bases loaded in both the third and seventh innings and were unable to capitalize in either frame.
Game Two: SVSU 2, Davenport 10
A 1-0 game in the bottom of the third went into a multi-hour delay due to lightning strikes. Before the delay, Arbini allowed a run on an RBI single. When play resumed, he was replaced by Wilcome.
SVSU tied the game after the delay when Mead drove in Jarvis on a ground ball and reached base on a throwing error.
Wilcome pitched well through 2.2 innings but ran into trouble in the sixth when three walks led to four Davenport runs. Jacob Bardwell came in to record the final out of the inning. Bardwell hit two batters in the seventh before Drew Cooper took over. A pair of walks, a fielder's choice, and a wild pitch allowed three more runs to score, making it 7-1.
Ethan Marshall pitched the eighth inning for SVSU, allowing two runs on a home run. Mead singled home another run for the Cardinals in the top of the eighth.
Up Next:
Saginaw Valley baseball concludes the series on Saturday, April 19. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 PM at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in Caledonia, Michigan.