UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team opened the final series of the regular season Friday afternoon, welcoming Purdue Northwest to town. The Cardinals (27-19, 9-12 GLIAC) dropped a close 5-4 contest to the Pride (16-25, 4-17 GLIAC) in a game with major postseason implications for both teams. SVSU is seeking wins to improve its seeding for next weekend's GLIAC Tournament, while PNW needs victories to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Connor Cornwell led the way offensively, going 3-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Ethan Scheib, Buck Snabes, and Austin Cicerone each tallied two hits, as the Cardinals finished with 11 hits on the day.
Starting pitcher Jack Decker (L, 9-2) went six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four. Jake Shelagowski pitched the final three innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out five. The team's nine total strikeouts bring SVSU's season total to 415—just 19 shy of breaking the single-season strikeout record for the third consecutive year.
The Cardinals struck first in the third inning. Cornwell led off with a single and was followed by back-to-back hits from Ethan Rose and Scheib to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Lucas Mead brought in Cornwell for the game's first run. The game then remained scoreless for several innings.
The offense picked up again in the sixth inning, with both teams trading runs and leads. PNW scored twice in the top of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. SVSU responded in the bottom half with a Cornwell RBI single, scoring Ryan Jarvis to tie the game. The Pride answered right back with two more runs in the seventh to go up 4-2. The Cardinals cut the deficit to one on a Cicerone RBI single that brought home Snabes. In the eighth, both teams added an RBI single—PNW extending the lead to 5-3, and SVSU answering with a Snabes hit that scored Brendan Conkle.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley will host Purdue Northwest for a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM EDT. The program will celebrate Senior Day, with a ceremony scheduled between the two games.
