March 30, 2005

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State swept a GLIAC twinbill Wednesday at the GVSU Baseball Field from Hillsdale College in the Lakers' GLIAC opener. The Lakers claimed game one by a 6-3 score and game two 11-1. GVSU (10-4, 2-0) will host Findlay Saturday (April 2) and Sunday (April 3) at 12 noon.

The Lakers trailed game one 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth before senior 3B Scott Allen tied the contest with a two-run blast over the leftfield fence. The two RBIs for Allen sent him to the top spot past Jeff Fox in career RBIs with 134. 1B Chad Rohacs put the Lakers up 5-3 with a two-run blast to left and Nick Sandy drove in the final run with a single to center to provide the 6-3 margin. Junior Jeremy Dow picked up the win, yielding just two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings of work. Joe Finnerty picked up the save with a scoreless seventh. 2B Scott Smith and RF Clay Ackerman each collected two hits, while Allen drove in three runs and scored one.

The Lakers scored early and often in game two of the doubleheader. Nick Sandy homered to left in the second and the route was on. GVSU scored another single run in the fourth and the flood gates opened in the fifth as GVSU scored eight runs on eight hits to take a 10-0 lead. Senior SS Ryan Lyster tripled and doubled in the fifth, while Scott Smith tallied a pair of singles in an inning that saw 14 batters come to the plate. Grant Payton picked up the win, working five innings of three-hit baseball with five strikeouts. Payton yielded two hits in the first and then retired 13-of-the-next-14 batters. Sophomore Matt Middleton worked the final two innings. Lyster was 3-3 with two runs scored, while Smith, Sandy and Drew Wippich each collected two hits. Wippich drove in three runs. GVSU pounded out 15 hits in the contest.