March 24, 2007

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

University Center, Mich. - #9 Grand Valley State opened its GLIAC schedule with a pair of road victories against Saginaw Valley State Saturday afternoon as the Lakers took down the Cardinals 12-2 in game one and 5-3 in 10 innings in game two. GVSU improves to 12-1 on the year and 2-0 in GLIAC play while SVSU falls to 10-3 and 0-2. The Lakers and Cardinals will face off again tomorrow (Mar. 25) in a doubleheader beginning at 12 pm.

Game one saw the Lakers score 12 runs on 15 hits en route to the 12-2 win. Senior Vince Rizzi picked up his third win of the year going five innings allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out a season-high six batters. LF Steve Strutz paced the offense going a perfect 3-3 with a RBI and three runs scored. GVSU's eight and nine hitters, 1B Cory Maguire and CF Pat Radde, drove in two runs apiece in game one.

GVSU stranded lead off hitter SS Dan Skirka in the first but would capitalize on its chances the rest of the way. Back-to-back singles by Strutz and DH Casey Robrahn in the second put runners on base for Maguire who dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up for Radde. The junior outfielder hit a ball deep enough to left field to score Strutz from third for the first run of the game. Skirka followed with his sixth double of the season scoring Robrahn from second. The Cardinals cut the margin to one (2-1) in the bottom half of the second with a solo home run.

The Lakers tacked on two more runs in the third with a RBI double by Strutz and a run-producing single by Robrahn. The flood gates opened up in the top of the fifth as Maguire and Radde contributed back-to-back RBI singles before SVSU made a pitching change. Larry Roelens had trouble finding the strike zone as he threw three wild pitches in the inning allowing two runs to score. 2B Spud McKenzie tallied his team-high 16th RBI of the season with a single in the fifth for the Lakers. GVSU added two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh for the 12-2 GLIAC opening victory.

The Lakers took another early lead in game two as Robrahn doubled in a run to give GVSU an early 1-0 lead. Saginaw Valley State struck in the fourth scoring two runs on four Laker errors to take its first lead of the day. GVSU tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth when McKenzie reached base on an error by the shortstop then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by C Nick Smith. RF Derek Hinke followed with a run-scoring single to left field.

SVSU regained the lead in the bottom half of the sixth when Ken Hoffman hit a home run off starter Danny Richard to give SVSU a 3-2 lead with just three outs to go. Robrahn led off the top of the seventh with a double to right field and was replaced when speedster Matt Nickels pinch ran for him. Maguire moved Nickels to third with a sacrifice bunt before Radde stepped up again with a single to center field to tie the game at three.

Reliever David Bowman contained the Cardinals in the bottom of the seventh forcing extra innings. The Lakers were unable to get anything going in the eighth and were facing danger in the bottom half of the inning as SVSU's Ryan Joseph advanced to third with two outs before Bowman set the next batter down on strikes. The top of the ninth was the Lakers' turn to move a man to third before being forced into an inning ending groundout. Senior Matt Middleton replaced Bowman in the ninth picking up where Bowman left off by holding the Cardinals in check.

GVSU loaded the bases in the top of the 10th inning as McKenzie got things going with a walk and moved to third on a single down the right field line by Smith. Smith then moved to second before Hinke was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Strutz. The junior leftfielder delivered with a two run single back up the middle to give GVSU a 5-3 lead. Middleton returned for the 10th and retired the side in order for his first win of the season and GVSU's third last at bat win of the year.

Casey Robrahn and Steve Strutz each tallied four hits on the day while Strutz and Pat Radde led the squad with three RBIs apiece. The Lakers hit .358 as a team on the day while holding SVSU to .169 in the doubleheader. The Lakers and Cardinals will wrap up their regular season series tomorrow (Mar. 25) at 12 pm in a doubleheader at University Center, Mich.