Caledonia, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team headed back to Grand Rapids to start the month of April with a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) doubleheader against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, hosted at Davenport University. The Cardinals (12-12, 4-3) won both games against the Rangers (7-14, 1-5) with a combined 22 hits in the 12-6 and 6-2 victories.
Tyler McLaren (W, 5-0) started game one and although he gave up six runs, his offense helped him out through his six innings of work to keep SVSU ahead and keep McLaren undefeated on the season. The Rangers scored first with a run in the top of the first. Two walks and a single loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly scored one for Parkside.
The game turned quickly when the Cardinals loaded the bases themselves in the bottom of the first. Tucker Roe reached on an error, Martin Money walked, and Austin Schweiger singled. With two outs, Reed Raymond stepped up and hit the second grand slam of the season for SVSU. It was Raymond's second home run of the season giving Saginaw Valley a 4-1 lead.
Another run was added on in the second with Logan Welch scoring on an error. Parkside scored a couple more in the third making it 5-3 SVSU, before another four spot by the Cardinals in the fourth. Jeffrey Reseigh singled to start the inning, then back-to-back bunt singles by Brandon Scheurer and Welch loaded the bases with no outs. Roe scored one run on a sacrifice fly before Colin Cornwell singled home one more. Cornwell stole second, and with two runners in scoring position, Money doubled them both home making it 9-3. All nine runs came against Ranger starter Chris Conrad (L, 1-2) who pitched four innings and gave up eight hits.
Another run in the fifth on a Welch RBI double, and two more on a Brendan Conkle single in the sixth added great insurance with Parkside scoring three runs of their own in the top of the sixth. With a 12-6 lead, Nolan Knauf pitched the seventh allowing one hit and a walk but closed out the game.
SVSU got on the board first in game two. Schweiger singled and advanced on a wild pitch before being moved to third on a bunt single by Raymond. Connor Cornwell then bounced into a double play that scored Schweiger making it 1-0. A single came around to score after a walk and a double in the next half inning for Parkside tying the game at 1-1.
The next three frames were scoreless as SVSU gained the lead again in the sixth. Schweiger doubled, then Raymond hit a double of his own scoring Schweiger, and then Connor Cornwell singled him home. Parkside starter, Noah Gerritson (L, 0-4) was replaced afterwards, giving up three runs on seven hits through 5 1/3 innings.
Ryan Adams (W, 1-2) pitched well as he allowed only one run in five innings of work and struck out five. Nolan Raymond took over in the sixth and pitched two innings with one run against and no hits allowed. Parkside scored one run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout that reached base on a walk to make it 3-2 SVSU.
The Cardinals wouldn't need insurance, but added to their lead with three runs in the eighth. Scheurer reached on an error and stole second before Welch was walked. Jaccar Watkins got the big hit of the game with a triple down the right field line scoring both runners. Watkins scored on the next at-bat with Roe getting the RBI with a sacrifice bunt making it 6-2.
Nick Bastian pitched the eighth striking out one and allowing one hit before Chase Gruno finished the game in the ninth with a hit and two walks allowed.
UP NEXT
Saginaw Valley continues the GLIAC baseball weekend with a doubleheader against Davenport University (10-17, 4-3) on Sunday at Farmer's Insurance Athletic Complex in Caledonia, Mich. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.