April 15, 2006

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - #15 Grand Valley State improved to 28-8 on the season sweeping an important North Central Region battle against #25 Northern Kentucky, 7-4 and 9-0. Jeremy Dow picked up the win in game one striking out three in 5.2 innings. Grant Payton came back in the second game and threw six shutout innings while striking out five. Grand Valley will now go on a seven game road trip before returning home for a weekend series against Mercyhurst on April 29 and 30.

Northern Kentucky got on the board first scoring a run in the first using a Jim Volpe sacrifice fly to take the early 1-0 lead. GVSU answered in the bottom half with back-to-back singles by 1B Casey Robrahn and DH Brandon Bard to lead off the inning. After SS Dan Skirka dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move up the runners, LF Nate Secor grounded out to first to plate Robrahn and even the score at one. CF Jeff Carrero followed with his 37th RBI of the season ripping a single through the right side to give Grand Valley a 2-1 lead after two. Starter Jeremy Dow settled down in the third getting one of his three strikeouts, a fly out, and had a runner cut down at second as C Nick Smith caught a stealing Jon Back to end the inning.

The Lakers added two more in the third as 2B Spud McKenzie led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on the play as the catcher overthrew second base. RF Nick Sandy followed with a walk of his own and Smith tallied a RBI single to right field to score McKenzie and move Sandy to third. Robrahn then drove a pitch to left field, deep enough to plate Sandy from third on the sacrifice fly. GVSU added another pair of runs in the fourth with three straight hits by Secor, Carrero, and a perfect bunt by 3B Lee VanStreain that stopped directly atop the first base line to load the bases. An attempted pickoff attempt by Northern Kentucky's catcher allowed Secor to score as Carrero and VanStreain moved up. McKenzie drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly to right field to give Grand Valley a five run margin (6-1).

The Norse started a rally in the sixth with two outs, drawing back-to-back walks and advanced runners to second and third on a wild pitch. Volpe singled to left field with a ball hit off the handle to plate two runs and cut the Laker lead to 6-3. The hit would mark the end of the day for Dow as Nate McCrory entered the game getting the final out of the sixth. The Lakers added an insurance run in the sixth as McKenzie hit a double to right field that the rightfielder lost in the sun and scored on a Secor RBI single up the middle. McCrory found himself in a bit of trouble in the seventh as the Norse used a pair of doubles to score a run. A Northern Kentucky walk would end the day for McCrory as Dave Bowman came in to close the game out. Bowman forced a pop out to end the game and picked up his fourth save of the season.

The Laker bats continued their hot hitting in game two using two big innings to win 9-0. GVSU opened up with three runs in the first as Skirka doubled to deep center field and McKenzie along with Sandy reached base on a hit by pitch and a walk. Smith drove in his third run of the day with a RBI groundout to first. Robrahn continued his 16 game hit streak with a two RBI double to right center to plate McKenzie and Sandy.

Grand Valley added six more runs in the fifth, all unearned, as Robrahn hit a two run single up the middle, Bard added a two run single of his own, Secor tallied a RBI single to left, and Carrero finished the scoring off with a sacrifice fly to left field. Starter Grant Payton would not need any scoring help as he went six innings allowing five hits while ringing up five batters and zero runs. Reliever Matt Middleton entered the game for the seventh inning, striking out one while keeping the shutout intact.

With Dow's three strikeouts on the day he moved into a tie for seventh place on the all-time strikeout list in school history with 144. Payton moved into the list himself with the five strikeouts pushing him into a tie for 11th at 128.

Grand Valley will travel across town to Calvin College on Monday, April 17 for a nine inning contest beginning at 4 pm. GVSU will then travel to Hillsdale on Wednesday, April 26 for a GLIAC doubleheader followed by a weekend GLIAC doubleheader in Detroit, Mich. against Wayne State.