GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport baseball team is happy to be home after 23 straight games on the road to start the season. The Panthers will have a red-hot Saginaw Valley State squad coming to The Farm on Friday and then Parkside comes calling on Saturday. Both doubleheaders will begin at 1:00 PM.

PURDUE NORTHWEST/WAYNE STATE SUMMARY
The Panthers started off the GLIAC season on the right note with a pair of 4-1 wins at Purdue Northwest last Friday. The Pride scored in the first inning of both games and then were held scoreless for the final six innings. Carson Fischer in game one and Jerad Berkenpas in game two threw complete games of seven innings each. Fischer allowed just one hit and no earned runs and set a new career high with 13 strikeouts. He did not walk a batter and needed 96 pitches to go the distance. Berkenpas pitched more to contact with three strikeouts and allowed four hits and no earned runs himself in 85 pitches.

The Panthers then stayed in Hammond, Ind. for a doubleheader on Saturday against nationally-ranked Wayne State. The Warriors flexed their muscle to the tune of 12-0 and 6-2 to even the DU conference record at 2-2. Karter Fitzpatrick, the reigning GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and All-American from 2023, went the distance for WSU and allowed just two hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts. Anthony Aloisio and Chase Kemp had singles for the Panthers. Austin VanderMarkt got the start for DU and took the loss. He threw three innings and allowed four hits and three earned runs. The second game was far more competitive but the Warriors put together one big inning in the seventh and it was the difference in a 6-2 triumph. Davenport scored first in the opening inning as Tyler Mosher reached on an error and Connor Hnilo scored. WSU tied the game with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Logan Tobel stole second and Ray scored on a throwing error by catcher Carson Price. Aloisio gave DU a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh as he doubled home Josh Robinson for the lead. The lead lasted just a few minutes as the Warriors scored five runs in the bottom ot the seventh. Jacoby Dale had a RBI double to tie the game and then Hitzelberger gave WSU the lead for good with a two-run scoring double. Hatzigeorgiou put two insurance runs on the board with a single up the middle for the 6-2 final tally. Kemp did have a double in four at-bats for the Panthers. Hnilo also had a double in four at-bats from the leadoff spot. Griffin Kilander improved to 5-0 on the hill for Wayne State. He tossed seven innings and allowed four hits and one earned run. He also walked two and struck out six in 103 pitches. Brayden Flanders (0-1) took the loss in relief as DU's third pitcher of the game. He tossed 3.2 innings and surrended five hits and five earned runs with one walk and six strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY
Davenport leads the all-time series 15-10 against Saginaw Valley State and is 5-5 at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. The Panthers were able to win four of the six games last season with all of them being played in Caledonia. DU won 9-7 in the series finale on Apr. 8 and had a flair for the dramatic with a Miko Rodriguez walk-off, two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning. Ben Mets and Khale Showers each had three hits for the Panthers. Mets and Showers also each had a triple and drove in two runs. Logan Bursick-Harrington got the win in relief despite giving up three runs and two hits in one inning. Chase Gruno served up the long ball to Rodriguez and took the loss recording just one out.

Davenport leads the all-time series 18-1 against Parkside and have won five straight over the Rangers. The teams played seven times last season with six in the regular season and one in the GLIAC Tournament. The Rangers got a 7-6 win in game two on Mar. 27 and since the Panthers have scored in double digits during the last five straight victories. Davenport staved off elimination in last year's GLIAC Tournament with a 10-5 win in Lansing over the Rangers. James Kohl gave one of his best performances on the mound in his career going 8.1 innings (114 pitches) and allowing four earned runs with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Coltrane Rubner batted leadoff and walked three times with a single and two runs scored. Michael Tchavdarov went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Showers scored four times and smacked a two-run homer in the third inning.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Saginaw Valley State is off to one of their best starts in recent years and have won four of their first five games in the GLIAC. They beat No. 17 Wayne State by a score of 13-10 on Wednesday and sit atop the standings with the Warriors at 4-1. The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 4 in the Midwest Region. SVSU trailed 6-2 through five innings against WSU before scoring seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 9-6 lead. The Warriors responded with four runs on their own in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead at 10-9. The Cardinals however had the last laugh with a four spot in the top of the ninth inning to win the contest. Brandon Scheurer went 2-for-5 with a triple, walk and three RBI for the Cardinals. Hayden Jatczak had just one hit but it was a two-run home run in the sixth. Jeff Reseigh had the big blast in the ninth with a go-ahead, two-run home run down the left field line for the 11-10 lead. Colin Cornwell followed with a two-run double to left center for the insurance runs. Scheurer also picked up the pitching win in 2.1 relief innings and walked two with four strikeouts. Reed Raymond got his first save of the season pitching the ninth. The Cardinals have a potent offense and the top three hitters in the GLIAC at the moment in Cornwell (.488), Jatczak (.446), and Brady Carpenter (.442). Jatczak also ranks second in the conference with five home runs and leads the league with 29 RBI.

Parkside is on the road on Friday at Wayne State before playing a pair on Saturday at Davenport. They are 11-10 overall and 0-3 in the GLIAC. They do have one game to complete against SVSU back on Mar. 25 in game two of a doubleheader. The Rangers are however trailing 27-4 in the ninth inning of that contest. Grand Valley State took the first two games of the GLIAC season against Parkside on Mar. 23 by scores of 7-2 and 12-1. SVSU also won game one of their twinbill 14-6 in Kenosha, Wis. on Monday. Andrew Harris is leading the team with a .424 batting average which ranks fourth in the conference. He also has 13 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBI. John St. Clair leads the Rangers with 18 RBI and is batting .310 with four doubles and one triple. Parkside is sporting a 7.35 team earned-run average which ranks fifth in the league.

LIVE COVERAGE
Friday, March 29 hosts Saginaw Valley State (DH) - 1:00 PM - Live Video - Live Stats
Saturday, March 30 hosts Parkside (DH) - 1:00 PM - Live Video - Live Stats