May 16, 2004

Ashland, Ohio - Grand Valley State claimed its second straight NCAA DII North Central Regional Championship Sunday with a two-game sweep over top-seeded Ashland. GVSU won the first game 5-2 and the finale 12-3. The Lakers have now earned a trip to Mongomery, Alabama for the NCAA DII World Series for the second straight year. The Lakers enter the eight-team World Series with a school-best 43-15 record. GVSU has now won 30-of-its-last-34 games.

GVSU won the opening game with three runs in the first and two more in the second. 1B Tim Hudanll singled in 3B Scott Allen who opened the inning with a one-out single. CF Brandon McFarland and C Elijah Beckwith notched back-to-back doubles to score two more runs. GVSU added two more runs in the second as LF Nick Sandy reached on an error and scored on a Scott Smith triple. Smith then scored on a wild pitch. Ashland scored its only two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Junior right-hander Marty Jackimowicz (3-2) picked up the win, yielding two runs on five hits. Junior Sean McLeod pitched two scoreless innings, while Joe Finnerty picked up his ninth save of the year. 3B Scott Allen was 3-5 with one run scored, while Beckwith was 2-5 with two RBI. The Lakers pounded out 12 hits in the game.

The second game was tight until the Lakers put the game away with seven in the bottom of the eighth. GVSU scored two runs in the second on a Nick Sandy double. AU scored a single run in the top of the fourth, however, GVSU added two in the bottom of the sixth. McFarland singled, stole second and scored on a DH Matt Wright's single. Beckwith, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored on an error by the shortstop. AU scored two in the top of the seventh to pull within 4-3, but GVSU manufactured a run as SS Ryan Lyster forced a balk on an attempted steal of home from third. The Lakers broke the game open with seven in the eighth. scored seven times on four hits to take a 12-3 lead.

Senior LHP Matt Rafeld, an Ashland, Ohio native, picked up his second win of the tourney. Rafeld tossed 6.1 innings, yielding three runs, one earned, on nine hits. Rafeld picked up his school-record 11th win of the year (11-2) and Jon Micoff threw 2.2 innings of hitless ball. Scott Allen was 4-5 with two RBI. Allen was 7-10 on the day. Ryan Lyster was 3-4 with two runs scored, while Beckwith and Wright each collected two hits. Hudnall and Sandy each drove in two runs.

Rafeld earned North Central Regional MVP honors,in addition to being named to the All-Tournament team. Also making the team were 1B Tim Hudnall, 2B Scott Smith, SS Ryan Lyster, 3B Scott Allen and outfielder Brandon McFarland. Allen hit .591 in the tourney, collecting 13 hits in 22 at bats. Rafeld picked up two wins, while pitching 16.1 innings in three games.

Grand Valley State will play the winner of the West Region at a time to be determined Saturday, May 22.