May 27, 2004

Box Score

Montomerty, Alabama - Grand Valley State withstood Rollins' early outburst, then charged into its first NCAA Division II Baseball national championship game Thursday night. The Lakers (46-15) advanced into Saturday's championship game (7:30 p.m.) with an 11-4 win in game 12 of the 2004 championship. Grand Valley State becomes the first North Central Region team to make the title game since 1996 (St. Joseph's, Ind.) Grand Valley State, which finished fifth in its first championship last season, will play Friday's Central Missouri State-Delta State winner for the title.

Rollins (48-12) took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but didn't score again until the eighth. The Tars left 11 runners on base, seven in the first three innings. Grand Valley Starter Matt Rafeld (12-2) gave up 17 hits in eight innings, but walked none and struck out five.

Grand Valley State reached Rollins starter David Nathanson (5-2) for two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Tim Hudnall (3-for-4, three runs) put the Lakers ahead for good with a two-RBI double in the fifth. A four-run seventh -- keyed by Brandon McFarland's three-RBI double down the left-field line -- broke the game open. McFarland went 2-for-5 with two runs. Matt Wright and Nick Sandy each added two hits for the Lakers. All nine Laker's collected hits for GVSU. Three GVSU scoring rallies started with two out and none on base. Grand Valley State scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth, four in the seventh and two more in the eighth. GVSU tallied their final run in the ninth.

Junior relief pitcher Joe Finnerty pitched a hitless ninth to secure the win.