UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team had their brief four-game win streak ended on Thursday (Mar. 29) as they made five errors and gave up three unearned runs in a 5-2 loss at Saginaw Valley State. The Panthers (12-10, 3-2 GLIAC) matched their season-high for errors and it cost them dearly against a quality opponent. The Cardinals (16-8, 3-2 GLIAC) took advantage of miscues to get the upper hand in the first game of the four-game series.

Davenport struck first in this one with a run in the top of the second inning. Zac Wilson was hit by an 0-2 pitch and promptly stole second base. Brian Sobieski drew a walk and then both stole a bag to get into scoring position. Anthony DiPonio flied out for a sacrifice fly to score Wilson and move Sobieski to third. The one-run lead was secured as Oscar Heredia flew out to Craig Wilson in right field and he came up throwing to nab Sobieski at the plate for the double play.

DU starter Justin Palmbos cruised through the first three innings retiring all nine batters he faced. The Cardinals got a leadoff single by Derrek Clyde in the bottom of the fourth and then Adam Fitzgibbon had an infield single later in the inning to put runners on the corners with one out. Clyde was allowed to trot home on a failed pickoff attempt by Palmbos to tie the game.

The Panthers hit into double plays in the fifth and sixth innings and the Cardinals would take the lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the sixth. Palmbos gave up a leadoff walk to Wilson and two batters later threw wildly to second to attempt a force. Jordan Swiss then hit a grounder to second and the force at second was not completed allowing the second run of the game to score. Todd Paperd had a two-out, RBI single with the bases loaded to plate the third run.

Davenport got one run back in the top of the seventh with one out when Sobieski hit his seventh homer of the season. The Panthers then put runners on first and second but could not tie the game. SVSU added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth after DU once again stranded a pair in the top of the eighth. Krystien Johnson-Battilana inherited runners on first and second with one out and the Cardinals executed a double steal and the throw to third got away to score the fourth run. Paperd delivered again with a RBI single up the middle.

Amani Godfrey limited the Panthers to five hits and gave up two earned runs in a complete-game effort. He improved to 4-0 this season and walked four with two strikeouts. Palmbos drops to 2-3 this season going 7.1 innings but allowed just two earned runs and struck out three.

Paperd in the eighth spot of the order for SVSU went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Collin Winters also had a pair of hits in four at-bats and scored a run. Sobieski's homer was the only extra-base hit in the contest. Brent Showers was the only Panther with multiple hits going 2-for-3 in the nine-hole. The teams will continue their series with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.