April 9, 2004

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State swept a GLIAC doubleheader Friday afternoon from Mercyhurst College at the GVSU Baseball Field. GVSU won game one, 10-2, followed by a 9-4 win in game two. The two teams will square off Saturday at 12 noon in a doubleheader. Grand Valley State has won 10-of-its-last-11 games overall and 9-of-10 GLIAC games.

GVSU scored all the runs it needed in the first game with a 4-run third inning. 3B Jeremy Lundberg opened the inning with a double and SS Ryan Lyster reached on an infield single. LF Scott Allen reached first after being hit by a pitch and RF Joe Mertes pushed across a pair of runs with a single. 1B Tim Hudnall scored Allen with a ground out and CF Brandon McFarland doubled to score Mertes. The Lakers scored five more runs in the fourth. 2B Scott Smith notched an RBI with a single and Allen then tripled with the bases loaded. RF Joe Mertes plated Allen with a sac fly. Mercyhurst scored a pair of runs in the sixth, but Smith stole second and scored on a throwing error by the catcher in the bottom of the sixth. Mertes and Allen were each 1-2 with 3 RBI, while Smith, McFarland and Lyster each collected a pair of hits. Matt Rafeld picked up the win, yielding two runs on eight hits in five innings or work. Matt Middleton gave up just one hit in the final two innings.

In game two, Smith singled and stole second and third and then scored a Mertes groundout. GVSU took a 4-0 lead in the third when Lyster and Smith, who singled to open the inning, scored a Mertes HR to right field. Mercyhurst scored three in the fourth on four hits and then tied the game in the sixth with a two-out double by Chris Allen. However, GVSU loaded the bases with one out on a single, double and intentional walk to Smith. Allen hit a hard shot to third that plated the winning run, then Mertes reached on an error scoring another run. Hudnall singled in another run, and McFarland walked with the bases loaded. C Elijah Beckwith was hit by a pitch to score the fifth and final run of the inning. Joe Finnerty sealed the win with a scoreless seventh. Mertes was 1-3 with five RBI, while Allen, Hudnall, McFarland and Beckwith each drove in a run. Ryan Lyster was 3-3 with two runs scored, while Smith was 2-3 and three runs scored. McFarland added a pair of hits. Phil Mixter tossed the opening four innings, yielding three runs on six hits. Sean McLeod gave up one run on two hits in 1.2 innings. Joe Finnerty went the final 1.1 innings and yielded just one hit to get the win.