KENOSHA, Wis. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program traveled to Wisconsin-Parkside Friday afternoon to start a four-game series. The Cardinals (25-16, 7-9 GLIAC) defeated the Rangers (25-15, 8-8 GLIAC) 9-6, taking advantage of four UWP errors.

Brady Carpenter went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, driving in a pair of runs in the seventh to add insurance. Ryan Jarvis went 3-for-4 with two runs and a double, while Austin Cicerone had a 2-for-3 day with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Jack Decker (W, 9-1) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two. Jordan Lewis allowed two runs over two innings on four hits and struck out three. Jake Shelagowski (Sv, 9) nearly threw an immaculate inning in the ninth, striking out all three batters on 10 pitches—just one of them a ball.

After three scoreless frames for both teams, SVSU broke through with five runs in the fourth. Cicerone doubled home Jarvis to start the scoring, and Aaron Bess followed with an RBI single to score Cicerone. Carpenter reached on a bunt single, scoring Bess and moving Connor Cornwell to third before a Mitchell Walters single plated Cornwell and Carpenter to make it 5-0. Parkside scored their first run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to four.

The sixth and seventh innings brought runs for both sides. SVSU pushed across one in the top of the sixth, UWP answered with three in the bottom half, and the Cardinals responded with three more in the seventh to make it 9-4. The big swing came from Carpenter, who drove in Cicerone and Jarvis with a single.

A two-RBI single for Parkside in the bottom of the seventh made it a three-run game, but Shelagowski earned his GLIAC-leading ninth save of the season by striking out the side to close the door.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley baseball continues the series with a doubleheader against Parkside on Saturday, April 26. First pitch is set for 2:00 PM EDT at Historic Simmons Field in Kenosha, Wisconsin.