Baseball | 4/6/2023 11:32:00 AM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team had been in a tough spot before beginning their home portion of the schedule. DU has gone 6-1 at The Farm since their home opener on March 27 and find themselves sitting at 12-17 overall and more importantly 6-3 in the GLIAC, which is good for second place. The Panthers will continue a six-game series against Saginaw Valley State which began last Sunday with a doubleheader sweep by the Panthers over the Cardinals.

Last Time Out
Davenport took both games against the Cardinals by scores of 8-6 and 14-8 on April 2. The win streak for DU climbed to five, their longest of the season. The Panthers got the best of Hunter Merillat who entered the game with a 1.05 ERA and a 3-0 record. He took his first loss of the season going four innings and allowing six earned runs with a season-high eight walks and five strikeouts. DU trailed 3-0 before scored eight unanswered runs against the Cardinals. Ben Mets drew three walks in game one and scored twice. Logan Hylek had two RBI on a pinch-hit single. Coltrane Rubner also drove in two runs.

DU cruised to a 10-0 lead in game two and held on for the 14-8 win. Jared Schwartz picked up his first win of the season with four scoreless innings to start the game. He finished with five innings under his belt and five strikeouts. Mets went 4-for-5 with three RBI. Gaetano Vallone and Rubner each had a triple as Vallone drove in three runs and scored three times. Rubner scored twice in the contest. Hylek smacked a pair of doubles going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. 

Player Notes 
Ben Mets

• The senior shortstop was named GLIAC Player of the Week on Monday. He played in all seven games and batted .500 going 11-for-22 with six runs and seven RBI. He drove in four runs going 4-for-5 with two runs against GVSU on Tuesday. He also went 4-for-5 in game two on Sunday against SVSU with three RBI and during the doubleheader reached base safely nine times with three walks and a single in game one. He walked nine times this week and had a .625 on-base percentage. He was also perfect in the field with seven putouts and 16 assists including two double plays turned.
• Mets also reached a milestone this past week going over 100 career RBI. He is currently sitting at 103 RBI. He also is currently fourth all-time at DU with 73 walks and eighth with a career .359 batting average. He was also started in all 114 games he has played as a Panther.

Gaetano Vallone

• Vallone will be playing in his 178th career game on Thursday and that ranks seventh all-time at Davenport. He enters with a .297 career batting average and currently ranks eighth all-time with 502 at-bats, 119 runs, and 68 walks. He is also ninth in RBI with 111.

Logan Bursick-Harrington

• The Panther closer has rounded into form and provided stability at the end of games. He has posted a 1.50 ERA in his last seven appearances with two saves. He has struck out 12 batters in six innings and opponents hit .143 against him. This season, Bursick-Harrington ranks first in the GLIAC with 14 appearances and is first in saves with 3. He is fourth in the conference with 30 strikeouts and has walked just 10 batters.

Scouting the Opponent

Saginaw Valley State (12-14, 4-5 GLIAC)
Series Record: Davenport leads 13-8
Last Meeting: 4/2/23 - Davenport won 14-8 in game two of a doubleheader
About the Cardinals:
The Cardinals are currently batting .278 as a team for the season which is identical to the Panthers. DU has played in three more contests than the Cardinals and has 259 hits compared to 240 hits for SVSU. The Cardinals are not normally known for their power as they rank last in the GLIAC with seven team home runs. Davenport on the other hand leads the league with 20 round-trippers. Saginaw Valley State enters the final four games of the series with a 5.86 earned run average which ranks fourth in the GLIAC. However, they are tied with Davenport for the league lead with 223 strikeouts.

Colin Cornwell has helped lead the offense for SVSU. He is currently seventh in the GLIAC with 30 hits and ranks fifth with seven doubles. Cornwell is batting .330 and ranks third in the conference with 24 RBI. Tyler McLaren comes in leading the GLIAC with five pitching wins and is 5-0 overall with a 2.52 ERA which ranks third in the league. McLaren has thrown 35.2 innings and struck out 42 which is tops in the GLIAC.

Live Coverage:
Thursday, April 6 vs. Saginaw Valley State (4 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
Friday, April 7 vs. Saginaw Valley State (1 PM - DH) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
Saturday, April 8 vs. Saginaw Valley State (12 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats