On Friday, the Purdue Northwest baseball team opened their weekend series with a hard-fought 5-4 win over Saginaw Valley State in a GLIAC road matchup at the University Center in Michigan. A strong late-game push and solid bullpen effort helped the Pride snap their losing skid and earn a much-needed conference victory.
 
The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (16-25), Saginaw Valley (27-19)
• Location: University Center, Michigan
• GLIAC Conference Game

The Breakdown

• Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) continued his productive stretch at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored.
• AJ Reid (Highland, Ind./Highland) gave the Pride a spark with a key RBI double in the sixth inning, helping tie the game at 1-1.
• Kam Earley (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to put PNW ahead briefly.
• Jax Kalemba (Chicago, Ill./Andrean) delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh and scored a run while also being hit by a pitch.
• Joey Guiliano (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) chipped in with an RBI single in the eighth, driving in what turned out to be the game-winning run.
• Brayden Barrett (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) posted a multi-hit day and scored twice, also swiping a base to help fuel the offense.
• Mitchell Stanton (South Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) picked up the win on the mound, tossing six innings while allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out three.
• Eric Beck (Manteno, Ill/Manteno) secured the save, working a clean ninth inning with one strikeout to preserve the win.
• Saginaw Valley's B. Snabes and A. Cicerone each drove in a run, and the Cardinals outhit the Pride 11-10 but left 11 runners on base.
• Saginaw Valley got on the board first in the third inning with a sacrifice fly. PNW answered in the sixth when Imlach doubled and later scored on Reid's two-bagger, followed by Earley's sac fly to give the Pride a 2-1 lead.
• After SVSU tied it in the bottom half, PNW took control in the seventh with back-to-back doubles from Barrett and Kalemba, followed by Imlach's RBI double. Guiliano's single in the eighth padded the lead to 5-3.
• The Cardinals scratched one back in their half of the eighth, but Beck shut the door in the ninth to seal the win.
• In total, Purdue Northwest collected 10 hits and worked two walks, stranding eight runners. Solid situational hitting and a steady bullpen effort made the difference in a tightly contested game.

 
Up Next:
The Pride continue their weekend series against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, May 3, with first pitch set for 12:00 PM CT.