April 10, 2007

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Allendale, Mich. - No. 5 Grand Valley State (23-2, 11-1) secured the best 25 game start in school history with a pair of home GLIAC wins over Hillsdale (8-18, 1-11) Tuesday afternoon in Allendale. The Lakers took the first game 7-1 and shutout Hillsdale in the second game with a 7-0 victory. The Lakers will host Wayne State in a four game set over the weekend beginning at 12 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday.

Freshman right-hander Danny Richard got the ball in game one throwing six innings while allowing just one unearned run and striking out a season-high seven batters. The Chargers snapped GVSU's 28 inning scoreless streak in the fourth tallying an unearned run on a pair of singles. GVSU put an early run on the board in the second inning when RF Derek Hinke led off with a double to right field and later scored on an RBI single off the bat of C Nick Smith. Hillsdale knotted the game at one in top of the fourth scoring its lone run of the ball game before the Laker bats came to life.

2B Spud McKenzie got things going in the bottom of the fourth with a one out walk and moved to second when Hinke singled to left field. Smith followed with his second RBI of the game, this time with a single to center field. DH Casey Robrahn made it a 4-1 ball game when he lined a ball that went just over the glove of the Charger center fielder Jeff Dubey pushing two runs across with a double. CF Pat Radde would later add a two run double of his own to make it a 6-1 contest after four complete innings. Nick Smith added his third RBI of the game in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored 3B Lee VanStreain who led off the inning with a double. Richard struck out seven in his six innings of work while allowing just two hits. Fellow freshman Brad Raj came on in the seventh to secure the Laker victory.

Junior Nick Beach had another dominating pitching performance in game two as he threw five and a third scoreless innings while giving up just one hit and sitting down six batters on strikes. In Beach's six starts on the year he has allowed just four earned runs for a minuscule 1.10 ERA. The Laker offense picked up where it left off after game one pushing two runs across in the bottom of the first when Derek Hinke connected on his third home run of the year driving in McKenzie who singled with two outs. Hinke patiently waited on a curve ball and crushed it over the left field fence to give GVSU an early 2-0 lead. The Lakers tacked on two more runs in the third as VanStreain singled in a run before McKenzie doubled him in for the 4-0 advantage.

GVSU would push three runs across in the fifth as VanStreain and Smith tallied RBI singles and Hinke contributed a sacrifice fly. Junior Eric Snyder finished out the sixth inning setting down both batters he faced after replacing Beach. Senior Matt Middleton made his 51st appearance as a Laker in the top of the seventh as he replaced Snyder and finished out the contest for the Lakers.

Nick Smith, Derek Hinke, and Spud McKenzie paced the Laker offense all going 3-5 on the afternoon. Smith drove in a team-high four runs in the doubleheader as Hinke and VanStreain each scored three runs in the sweep. The Lakers will host Wayne State in a pair of GLIAC doubleheaders this weekend with the action starting at 1 pm on Saturday and 12 pm Sunday at the Laker Baseball Field.