KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team unleashed an offensive barrage Friday, April 24, blasting seven home runs, including two grand slams, and scoring 34 total runs in a doubleheader sweep of Missouri Southern State and Truman. The Cardinals hit three home runs in the opener and followed with four against Truman, marking their first four-home-run game since April 27, 2024, when they clinched the GLIAC regular season championship against Grand Valley State. The outburst pushed SVSU's season total to 38 home runs, the most since the 2017 squad hit 41, and brought the team's grand slam total to four on the year.
The Cardinals (23-20) opened the day with a 9-4 win over the Lions (29-15) before erupting for a season-high 25 runs in a 25-9 victory against the Bulldogs (11-31).
Game One: Cardinals 9, Lions 4
Missouri Southern struck first with an RBI single in the opening inning, but the Cardinals answered with authority in the second.
After Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) tied the game with an RBI single, Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) crushed a grand slam to right field to cap a five-run frame and give SVSU a 5-1 lead. The Cardinals maintained pressure offensively, adding a solo home run from Ryan Jarvis (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS) in the fifth before Jacob Pitt (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central HS) followed with a two-run blast later in the inning to stretch the lead to 8-1.
The Lions chipped away with a run in the sixth and solo home runs in the eighth and ninth, but Jarvis added an RBI single in the sixth to provide insurance and secure the 9-4 victory.
Nathan Masar (W, 4-3) (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) earned the win in relief, tossing five innings and allowing just one run while striking out five. Will Juday (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Central HS) closed the game with two innings and three strikeouts.
Game Two: Cardinals 25, Bulldogs 9
The offensive fireworks continued after Truman plated a run in the first. Saginaw Valley erupted for eight runs in the second inning as Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) scored on a balk before Brady Carpenter (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) drove in a run after being hit by a pitch. Moments later, Jarvis launched a grand slam to right-center to break the game open.
The Cardinals kept rolling in the third when Zane Wilson (Clarkston, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) crushed a three-run homer to left, pushing the lead into double digits. Saginaw Valley added crooked numbers again in the fourth and sixth innings, capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting. Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) launched a two-run homer in the sixth, and Chase Miller (Walkerton, Ind. / John Glenn HS) capped the scoring in the seventh with a two-run shot to left for his first career home run.
Brady Young (W, 3-0) (Vicksburg, Mich. / Vicksburg HS) earned the win, striking out seven over 4.2 innings. Ethan Marshall (Marlette, Mich. / Marlette HS) and Daniel Kos (Commerce, Mich. / Lutheran Northwest HS) combined for 2.1 innings in relief, each recording a strikeout.
Jarvis paced the offense across the two games, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs while tying Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) for the team lead in home runs with six. Mead and Pitt now have five home runs apiece in 2026, while Cicerone raised his season total to four. Wilson recorded his first home run of the year as part of his six-RBI performance. Mead, Cicerone, and Wilson have all doubled their career home run totals this year.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley continues the non-conference weekend Saturday, April 25 against Missouri Southern State and Sunday, April 26 against Truman. Both first pitches are scheduled for 1:00 PM ET at Bulldog Baseball Park in Kirksville, Missouri.