UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Parkside baseball team continued their first GLIAC road series of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals. The Rangers staged a late comeback in game one, but SVSU was able to push across the winning run in the final at-bat of the game. The Cardinals then kept that momentum, defeating Parkside 14-4 in game two.
GAME ONE
Parkside battled back late but ultimately fell to Saginaw Valley State, 6-5, in a tightly contested seven-inning game to kick off the day on Saturday afternoon.
Saginaw Valley struck first in the opening inning with a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead, then added another run in the third on a solo home run to make it 2-0. Parkside responded in the fifth inning, beginning with a solo home run from Noah Goddard. Later in the frame, Benjamin Loyd singled and came around to score on an RBI base hit from Mason Mitacek, tying the game at 2-2.
The Cardinals answered in the bottom half of the inning, using a hit batter with the bases loaded to regain a 3-2 lead. Saginaw Valley extended the advantage in the sixth, scoring twice to push the lead to 5-2.
Parkside mounted a strong rally in the seventh inning. Goddard led off the frame with his second home run of the game, cutting the deficit to two. After Mitacek and Dylan Sayles reached with singles and John St. Clair drew a walk to load the bases, Jude Allen delivered a clutch two-run single to even the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Saginaw Valley responded quickly. A leadoff walk and a double put runners in scoring position before a single to right center brought home the winning run, handing Parkside a 6-5 defeat.
Offensively, Parkside recorded nine hits, with Goddard leading the way with two home runs and two RBI. Mitacek added two hits and an RBI, while Sayles reached base four times with two hits and two walks. Allen drove in two runs with his seventh-inning single as the Rangers continued to generate opportunities late.
On the mound, Brennen Miller started and allowed three runs over 4.1 innings. Peter Mulhern and Nick Tinajero combined in relief before Austin Grube was charged with the final run in the seventh.
GAME TWO
Parkside fell in game three of the series to Saginaw Valley State, 14-4, on Saturday afternoon in University Center, Michigan.
Saginaw Valley set the tone early, erupting for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning to take immediate control. The Cardinals strung together six hits in the frame, including multiple extra-base hits, to build a 7-0 advantage.
The Rangers responded in the second inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues to get on the board. Joe Mrowiec led off with a double, and later in the inning John Wubben delivered an RBI single. Benjamin Loyd added a sacrifice fly to bring Parkside within 7-2.
Parkside continued to chip away in the third. With the bases loaded, Nathan Hanel drew a walk to force in a run, and Nolan Maciejewski followed with another bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 7-4.
However, that would be as close as the Rangers would get. Saginaw Valley added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run home run, to extend the lead to 10-4.
The Cardinals put the game out of reach in the eighth inning, scoring four runs on a series of extra-base hits, including a two-run home run and multiple doubles.
Parkside finished with eight hits in the contest, with Dylan Sayles leading the way with two hits. Mrowiec added a double, while Wubben drove in a run and Loyd contributed an RBI on a sacrifice fly as the Rangers generated opportunities early but were unable to sustain the momentum.
On the mound, Nathan Ciemny was charged with the loss after allowing seven runs in the opening inning. Donovan Dykas provided 3.2 innings of relief, allowing one run, while Braden Sayles and the bullpen combined to cover the remaining innings.
The two teams will wrap up the series on Sunday with an 11 a.m. central first pitch. Links to live stats and video coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
