March 29, 2007

Box Score

Hillsdale, Mich. - #9 Grand Valley State (15-2, 5-1 GLIAC) took a midweek doubleheader from Hillsdale (7-13, 0-6 GLIAC) Thursday (Mar. 29) in Hillsdale, Mich. taking down the Chargers 13-8 in game one and 7-2 in game two. CF Pat Radde was 4-of-7 with two runs and a team-high four RBIs in the doubleheader. The Lakers will take on Gannon in a pair of road doubleheaders on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 in Erie, Pa. at 12 pm and 11 am.

Grand Valley scored in nearly every inning in game one en route to the 13-8 victory. A pair of leadoff walks by SS Dan Skirka and 3B Lee VanStreain provided an early scoring opportunity for the Lakers. Back-to-back fly outs by 2B Spud McKenzie and C Nick Smith put the scoring chances in jeopardy. Another walk, this time to LF Steve Strutz, loaded the bases for CF Pat Radde who drew the fifth walk of the inning to plate the first run of the inning. 1B Cory Maguire drew the sixth walk of the inning to make it a 2-0 contest as the Lakers scored twice without recording a hit.

Spud McKenzie drove in a pair of runs in the second with a two run single to center field in the second inning as the Lakers extended their lead to 4-0. RF Matt Nickels added an RBI single up the middle in the third for the fifth run of the game. The Lakers tacked on another run in the fourth inning when Steve Strutz tallied an RBI triple to score Nick Smith from first.

Brad Raj drove in a pair of runs in the top half of the fifth with a single that plated DH Dan Delamielleure and Cory Maguire. Raj would score later in the inning on a passed ball and an error by the catcher to truly open up the contest at 9-0. Starter Vince Rizzi cruised through the first four innings without much trouble before finding himself in a jam in the fifth when he allowed two singles to go with a pair of walks, one that drove in a run, and a two run double that cut the Laker lead to six (9-3). The Chargers cut the lead to two (9-7) on a sacrifice fly and a three run homer in the sixth before the Laker bats reawoke in the seventh driving in four to seal the victory.

Lee VanStreain ripped an RBI single in the inning and was followed later in the inning by Scott Cain who drew another RBI walk. Radde finished out the scoring with a two run single to secure the Laker victory. Hillsdale scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin (13-8).

Junior Nick Beach started game two for the Lakers and entered the contest with a scoreless streak of 14 consecutive innings. Beach extended that mark to 15 innings but the Chargers snapped it in the second inning with a single run to take an early 1-0 lead. The Lakers answered in the very next inning with a seven run inning, taking advantage of three Charger errors.

Skirka led off the third inning with a single to left field and moved to third on an error by the pitcher and a wild pitch. 3B Lee VanStreain went down on strikes before McKenzie doubled to left field to tie the game at one. Smith followed and drove in McKenzie when he hit a ball that was misplayed by the second baseman allowing McKenzie to score from second. Radde scored Smith when he laced the second double of the inning to right center and scored on the next play when Maguire tallied a double of his own. A hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Skirka who drew a walk in his second at bat of the inning to make it a 5-1 game. VanStreain redeemed himself for his strikeout earlier in the inning as he drove in a pair with a single to right field to end the Lakers scoring for the inning and the game.

The seven runs were all Beach would need in the game as he allowed just one run on four hits over the final five innings as he set Hillsdale down in order in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Beach improves to 3-0 on the year and now has a team-high 20 strikeouts.

Pat Radde and Lee VanStreain led the Lakers at the plate as they both went 4-7 with two runs scored apiece. Radde drove in four while VanStreain registered three RBIs. DH Dan Delamielleure was 3-4 at the plate in the doubleheader with two runs scored.

The Lakers will take on Gannon in a pair of road doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday in Erie, Pa. with Friday's games beginning at 12 pm and Sunday's at 11 am.