CALEDONIA, Mich. — The Davenport baseball team welcomed Saginaw Valley State on Sunday for a doubleheader to start a six-game series against the Cardinals. Both teams entered with 4-3 records in the GLIAC and in a tie for third place. The Panthers were able to steal game one 8-6 and then built a big lead before holding on 14-8 in game two.
GAME ONE
The Panthers faced a tough task against SVSU starter Hunter Merillat who came into the game with a 3-0 record and 1.05 ERA this season. Merillat looked untouchable in the first three innings and his teammates were able to give him a 3-0 lead. Other than a two-out walk in the first inning to Ben Mets and a one-out walk to Tyler Mosher in the third inning, he did not allow a hit.
The fourth inning is when the Panthers cracked the code against Merillat. Mets walked for the second time to lead off and Khale Showers singled to center. Merillat got two outs but then his command escaped him. He walked Josh Robinson and then pinch-hitter Logan Hylek took a 2-2 pitch into left field for a RBI single and a 3-1 deficit. Mosher then fell behind 0-2 in the count and battled back to earn a RBI walk for a 3-2 score. Merillat then walked Caleb Anspaugh on five pitches to tie the game at 3-3.
James Kohl was given the needed run support on the mound for the Panthers and he came out in the fifth and got a 1-2-3 inning. Mets walked for the third time to lead off the fifth and Showers also drew a walk. Merillat walked eight and coming into the game in 25.2 innings had only walked seven hitters. Nick Bastian inherited the runners and gave up a two-RBI single to Coltrane Rubner for DU's first lead of the game at 5-3. Miko Rodriguez then laid down a sacrifice bunt and the throw to first was mishandled to allow Carter Troncin to score and Rubner moved to third. Hylek had another successful at-bat with a sacrifice fly to score Rubner for a 7-3 lead.
Spencer Vainavicz took over to start the sixth inning and stranded the bases loaded on a strikeout of Logan Welch. DU scored their eighth run in the sixth on an error, but then the Cardinals scored three times in the seventh to make things very interesting. Alex Lord would surrender those runs before Logan Bursick-Harrington had to enter to get the final out on a strikeout to earn his third save of the season. DU did not allow any extra-base hits in game one. Mets reached base four times with his three walks and a single. Kohl improved to 3-4 on the mound this season going five innings and allowing three runs to go with three walks and a strikeout.
GAME TWO
It was all Panthers through the first four innings as they built a 10-0 lead. Jared Schwartz was putting together his best start of the season with four scoreless innings. He did allow three runs in the fifth inning, but still got his first win of the season going five innings. He allowed three hits and walked six with five strikeouts.
Davenport scored one run at a time for their first six runs. Rodriguez had a RBI double in the second inning. Mets had a RBI single also in the second inning. Hylek had a RBI double in the third inning. Gaetano Vallone had a RBI triple for a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning. Showers had a two-run double in the fourth inning and Mosher also had a two-run scoring single to conclude the fourth inning scoring.
Colin Cornwell had a three-RBI double for the Cardinals in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 10-3. Brendan Conkle had a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 10-5 in the sixth inning against Cade Kontny. Brandon Scheurer really made things tense with a two-run single in the seventh inning off Vainavicz to make it 10-7.
Devon Nettles calmed the storm in relief of Vainavicz getting two outs to end the seventh and keep the three-run lead. Davenport responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh as Mets singled up the middle with one out to score Anspaugh and Vallone for a 12-7 lead.
Nettles retired the Cardinals in order in the eighth and DU added two more runs in the eighth. Rodriguez had a RBI single and Vallone lined out to right for a sacrifice fly for a 14-7 lead. Austin VanderMarkt made his first appearance of the season in the ninth as SVSU scored once but he did strike out two while allowing three hits.
Steven Hecht who started for SVSU took the loss and is now 0-3. He lasted three innings and allowed five earned runs with three walks and two strikeouts. DU pounded out five doubles and two triples in game two. Mets continued his stellar doubleheader going 4-for-5 with three RBI. Vallone scored three times and drew two walks. Hylek and Rodriguez each had two hits.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will ride their five-game win streak with another game against Saginaw Valley State at home on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 PM.
