Feb. 24, 2006

Box Score

Highland Heights, KY. - #7 Grand Valley State opened the 2006 season in fine fashion with a 4-3 victory over #19 Wisconsin-Parkside Friday afternoon at Northern Kentucky University. GVSU will play Northern Kentucky Saturday in a doubleheader, with the first game slated to begin at 12 noon.

GVSU, which has ended UW-Parkside's season each of the last two years in the NCAA DII North Central Regional tournament, opened the 2006 campaign with a victory over the Rangers. UWP scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first off GVSU starter Grant Payton, but the Lakers scored a single run in the top of the second and then plated two more in the top of the third. Wisconsin-Parkside tied the game in the bottom half of the third to tie the game. Neither team scored again until the top of the seventh when CF Jeff Carrero singled with two outs and then moved to second on a passed ball. SS Dan Skirka singled in Carrero for the game-winning RBI. Vince Rizzi relieved Payton on the hill in the top of the sixth and tossed three scoreless innings for the win. The game was called after eight innings due to darkness.

In addition to Skirka's RBI, 2B Justin McKenzie, DH Chad Rohacs and 3B Lee VanStreain each singled and recorded an RBI. C Nick Smith reached base four times and 1B Casey Robrahn singled. GVSU scored four runs on seven hits, while UW-Parkside scored three runs on three hits.