UTICA, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball program kicked off the GLIAC Tournament at UWM Field in Utica, Michigan on Thursday, May 7. The Cardinals (26-24, 12-12 GLIAC) held the lead against Davenport until the final batter of the game. The Panthers (27-24, 15-9 GLIAC) used three home runs over the final two innings to walk off SVSU.

Saginaw Valley got on the board in the second with two runs. Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) drove in Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) with an RBI groundout to open the scoring. Later, Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) singled to center, and Jacob Pitt (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central HS) scored on a bobble by the center fielder to make it 2-0.

Davenport got a run back in the third with an RBI single, but Pitt drove home Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) in the top of the inning to restore the two-run lead.

The Panthers again cut it to one in the fourth with an RBI sacrifice fly. However, Pitt delivered once more with an RBI groundout to plate Snabes and give SVSU a 4-2 advantage. The small ball continued in the sixth as Bess brought home Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) with a sacrifice fly.

Nathan Masar (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) pitched well in the start, allowing three runs over seven innings while striking out three. Chase Raymond (L, 2-2) (Standish, Mich. / Standish Sterling Central HS) pitched the eighth and ninth and recorded one strikeout.

The momentum swung in the bottom of the eighth for Davenport. A leadoff home run cut the deficit and ended Masar's day, and the next pitch was sent over the wall for another solo home run to bring the Panthers within one. A double play ended the top of the ninth for SVSU, and in the bottom half, a bloop single followed by a two-run home run ended the game.

There were only nine strikeouts collectively between both teams as the defenses were forced to play well behind their pitching staffs. The Cardinals were out-hit 10-8 and left seven runners on base compared to six for the Panthers.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley baseball plays an elimination game Friday, May 8 at 3:00 PM. The Cardinals face top-seeded Grand Valley State at UWM Field and will need a win to continue their season.