May 8, 2004

Box Score

Grand Valley State ended the 2004 softball season with a 4-0 loss to Northern Kentucky in the Great Lakes Regional Championship game on Saturday. The Lakers end the year with a 36-8 overall record. GVSU won the GLIAC regular season title with a 14-2 conference record.

Northern Kentucky tallied two runs in the top of the second inning and added one more run in each of the third and seventh innings to seal the 4-0 win. NKU outhit the Lakers 7-1. GVSU's lone hit came from junior SS Sarah Paape.

Four Lakers were named to the 2004 Great Lakes Region All-Tournament Team for their outstanding play throughout the tournament. Senior pitcher Jennifer Mackson, junior shortstop Sarah Paape, sophomore center fielder Tara Marsh, and freshman designated hitter Crista Buresh.

Mackson (25-4) picked up the loss for the Lakers, allowing seven hits and one earned run, while recording five strikeouts. Mackson ends her four-year stellar career at GVSU with a 103-16 record and a 0.67 ERA. She is GVSU's career leader in six categories. Jennifer is just the fifth pitcher in DII Softball history to have reached the 1,000 career strikeout mark and her 103 wins ties for 11th place in the record books. She is just the 13th pitcher to hit the 100 win mark. Her .866 winning percentage ties for ninth in NCAA DII history.

This was the end of seven seniors careers' at GVSU. Pitcher Jennifer Mackson, first baseman Sara Vroegindewey, second baseman Jennifer Goldschmeding, third baseman Lindsay Crawford, left fielder Erin Ballinger, catcher Carissa Schwab, and first baseman Kathryn Danak tallied a 182-33-2 (84.3%) record over the past four seasons.