XENIA, Ohio – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program wrapped up their three-game series with Cedarville University Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader. The Cardinals (5-2) took home both games with final scores of 4-3 and 3-2.
Austin Schweiger stood out offensively going 3-for-7 over both games with two runs scored and an RBI. The Cardinals totaled eleven hits over the two seven-inning games and struck out 15 Yellow Jackets.
Tyler McLaren (W, 1-0) pitched a gem in game one going six innings allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out nine. Nick Bastian (Sv, 1) gave up two runs in the seventh on three hits while punching out one and earning the save.
SVSU got on the board first with an RBI single by Schweiger to score Hayden Jatczak. Jatczak extended the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second with a two-run single up the middle that scored Connor Cornwell and Jaccar Watkins.
A fielding error in the bottom of the fourth scored the first Cedarville run to make it 3-1 SVSU. Reed Raymond got the run back in the top of the seventh as he tripled to right center scoring Schweiger. The Yellow Jackets brought it within one in their half of the seventh with two separate RBI singles, but Bastian got an infield popup and struck out the final batter to end the game.
Game two featured another stand out pitching performance for the Cardinals and a one-run victory. Steven Hecht got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing two runs, one earned on four hits and four strikeouts. Hecht got run support early with Schweiger scoring on a wild pitch in the second and Brandon Scheurer doubling home Jeff Reseigh in the third to make it 2-0.
Cedarville loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth with two singles and a walk before Carson Bassett took over the pitching duties. Bassett through 0.2 innings and walked one. The Yellow Jackets got one run on a wild pitch and another on a sacrifice fly, both runs going to Hecht's line, to tie the game 2-2. Chase Raymond (W, 1-0) donned the mound in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings allowing two hits and tallied one punch out.
Saginaw Valley looked for late inning heroics and they got it from their catcher. After a strikeout to start the inning, Reseigh stepped up and drove a ball over the left field wall for his first home run of the year and the 3-2 SVSU lead. Chase Raymond battled through the bottom of the inning allowing two singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs. With the winning run in scoring position, a fly ball to right field ended the game.
With the win, Cardinal baseball looks to their spring break trip. First, a round-robin weekend in St. Louis Missouri where they head to Missouri-St. Louis on Friday, March 1 and Sunday, March 3. They will play Maryville and McKendree at Maryville on Saturday, March 2 to complete the four-game trip. First pitch from Missouri-St. Louis is set for 1:00 PM on Friday.