May 20, 2006

Box Score

Allenale, Mich. - #1-seeded Grand Valley State stayed alive in the NCAA DII North Central Regional with an 8-7 victory over #3 Quincy in an elimination game Saturday Morning. GVSU advances to a 4 p.m. matchup versus the lone undefeated team in the tourney, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Lakers got the bats rolling early with two runs in the top of the first. CF Jeff Carrero opened the game with a single to center, followed 3B Lee VanStreain's infield single that moved Carrero to third. 2B Spud McKenzie plated Carrero with a sac fly and RF Nick Sandy doubled down the leftfield line. 1B Casey Robrahn reached on a fielders choice to score VanStreain and give the Lakers a 2-0 lead. Quincy answered with a two-out rally in their half of the first. SS Chris Scroggins doubled to left and scored on 1B Nick Dunnings single. Dunning stole second and scored on a single to right. QU took a 3-2 lead with a single runs in the second on two hits.

Grand Valley State took the lead with three runs in the third on three hits. Carerro opened with a double and moved to third on a single by VanStreain. Spud McKenzie then hit a three-run homer over the 365 mark in right center to put the Lakers up 5-3. GVSU took a 7-3 lead in the fourth with two more runs. SS Dan Skirka singled and LF Nate Secore walked before Carerro drove in Skirka with an RBI single. Secor, who advanced to third on Carerro's single, scored on a fielder's choice by VanStreain.

Quincy answered with three in the bottom of the fourth on three hits. RF Terrence Whittler singled and 3B Cole Koester doubled before Scoggins hit a two-out, three-run homer to pull the Hawks within one (7-6). GVSU upped its lead to 8-6 in the seventh on three hits. VanStreain opened the inning with a single and advanced to second on a single by Sandy. Casey Robrahn then singled to right left to plate VanStreain on a close play at the plate. Quincy made a bid in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff triple by CF Andrew O'Donnell off starter and winner Jeff Sinicki. Nate McCrory entered the game for Sinicki and was able to get Scoggins to hit a liner to first, before Dunning singled to right to score O'Donnell. McCory then shut the door with the final two outs and earned the save.

Sinicki pickedup his eighth win of the year, yieldingn 12 hits and seven runs in 8.0 innings of work. Carerro was 4-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. VanStreain followed with a 3-5 outing and three runs scored, while McKenzie drove in four runs. Nick Sandy collected three hits and Robrahn drove in two with two hits.

Brad Bumpus took the loss for Quincy, yielding seven hits and six runs in 3.1 innings. Brad Shaeffer pitched the finlal three innings and held the Lakers to four hits. Quincy ended the year with a 40-20 record, while the Lakers equalled its school-record for wins in a season with 46. The 2004 Laker team that played in the National Championship game.