HAMMOND, Ind. — Jake Soules (Troy, Mich./Troy High School) doubled to plate the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, but Purdue Northwest could not fend off Saginaw Valley State as the visiting Cardinals scored twice in their final at-bat to clip the Pride, 6-5, in Friday's league opener at Laborers' Local 41 Field.
The second game of the doubleheader was halted in the bottom of the third due to inclement weather with the Cardinals leading 5-3. It will be resumed at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
PNW (10-4, 0-1 GLIAC) scored twice in the opening frame for a 2-0 lead on
Alex Gasbarro's (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence High School) RBI double to left center. The Pride would add a run in the third on
Ray Hilbrich's (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) RBI knock, before the Cards (9-8, 1-0 GLIAC) responded with a pair in the fourth.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth before Soules' clutch extra-base hit in the sixth. A leadoff walk in the seventh followed by a double from SVSU's Martin Money allowed the Cards to even the score at 5-5. Another base hit moved Money to third and he would eventually score the game-winning run on a double-play ground out.
Anthony Fumagalli (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North High School) went 3 for 3 with a double to record his second three-hit outing of the season. Hilbrich and
Luke Montgomery (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence High School) each registered a pair of hits as the Pride outslugged the Cardinals 11-7 with four doubles.
Tyler Schultz (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) and
Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) each produced a two-base knock.
PNW starter
Sam Shively (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka (Taylor)) logged four innings in the no-decision. He struck out three while allowing three earned runs on three hits and four walks. Relievers
Joe Buikema (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) (2.0 IP, 2 K) and
Joe Tor (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport (South Surburban CC)) (1.0 IP, 1 K) closed out the contest on the mound.
SVSU reliever Hunter Merillat picked up his first win in two-and-a-third innings of work. Southpaw Reed Raymond earned his second save.
UP NEXT
The Pride are seeking to end a three-game slide as the two teams will pick up the halted game with a 1 p.m. start time on Saturday. A decision on whether to play Saturday's originally scheduled contest following the completion of the suspended game will be made at some point on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest Baseball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics / @PNW_Baseball) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
