April 6, 2003

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State and Ashland were so evenly matched they played all day long. The first game between the two teams went 10 innings before Ashland pulled out the 6-5 victory. The second game ended in a 4-4 tie after 8 innings were complete and darkness had taken over. GVSU falls to 19-6-1 and 9-2-1 in the GLIAC, while Ashland improves to 19-8-1 overall and 8-1-1 in the conference.

Game one started off with the Lakers getting a run in the bottom of the first as Tony Pfennig scored on a Kevin Boyd single. The Lakers tacked on a second run in the third on Joe Brunink's RBI single. Ashland came back to take a 3-2 lead with a single run in the the fourth and a two-spot in the fifth.

GVSU used several free passes and an Ashland error to regain the lead with two runs in their half of the fifth on an single by Boyd. Ashland came up with a clutch hit in the seventh to send the game into extra innings and then took the lead in the ninth with a lead-off home run. But the Lakers responded again as Mike McCallister scored on another Boyd single. AU capped off the game as they hit another homer with two outs in the 10th and retired the Lakers in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Boyd went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead the offense. Phil Mixter started for GVSU and allowed three runs in five innings, and struck out seven.

Matt Rafeld allowed only three hits in game two and did not allow an earned run but a four-error inning cost the Lakers a golden opportunity for a victory.

The Lakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two by putting up a pair of runs in both the third and the fifth innings. Boyd generated a couple more runs with a 2-RBI single in the third. Brunink led off the fifth with his third home run of the year and the Lakers added another run on an RBI single by Joe Mertes.

Ashland clawed their way back as they took advantage of GVSU mistakes to tie the game in the sixth. Neither team could generate a run in the final two innings and the game was called due to darkness.

Mike McCallister posted two hits and scored a run to lead the offense. Rafeld struck out seven and walked one in eight innings of work.

GVSU will travel to Hillsdale on Wednesday, April 9, to play a GLIAC twinbill starting at 2:00 pm.