March 1, 2009

Final Stats

Clermont, Fla. - One day after beginning its season with a pair of wins, Grand Valley State lost both of its games at the NTC Spring Games on Sunday (Mar. 1) in Clermont, Fla. GVSU fell to West Chester, 8-7, after holding a 7-0 lead and lost to Millersville, 7-2, in the nightcap.

Grand Valley State won its first two games of the season, defeating Concordia College (2-0) and Salem International (9-0) on Saturday. The Lakers allowed just six hits in 12 innings on the opening day of play.

In the first game on Sunday, GVSU took a 7-0 advantage on West Chester in the first three innings. Junior first baseman Breanne Kronberg used an RBI single to right field to score freshman Maggie Kerrigan, who tallied a one-out single. Junior Stephanee Schrader earned a bases loaded walk to plate the team's second run, while the Lakers added a tally mark as freshman Carli Raisutis scored on an error.

Kerrigan doubled in the bottom of the second and was thrown out at third base as she went for a triple, but junior centerfielder Tina Briggs crossed the plate for a 4-0 GVSU lead. In the third inning, after a Briggs run-scoring single, Kerrigan singled up the middle, driving in Briggs and senior Karen Walters. The Lakers led 7-0 after three innings of play.

The wheels fell off in the fourth inning, when West Chester plated seven runs on just four hits. WC took advantage of some rainy weather and a couple of Laker miscues to tie the game at 7-7. The big blow was a two-run single by centerfielder Evelyn Anderson. West Chester scored the final run on an infield single in the top of the seventh inning and GVSU went down in order in the home half of the seventh frame.

Senior Lori Andjelich (1-1) was tagged with the loss, after giving up the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. She pitched 3.1 innings in relief of freshman Andrea Nicholson and allowed just the one run on two hits, while striking out four. Nicholson gave up seven runs on five hits in 3.2 innings of work in her collegiate debut.

Kerrigan ended the game 3-for-5 with three runs batted in, while Kronberg added two hits in three at-bats and an RBI. Briggs scored two runs for the Lakers.

In game two, Millersville scored single runs in each of the first four innings and added three in the bottom of the fifth, which proved to be too much for Grand Valley State. The Lakers scored their first run on back-to-back doubles from Raisutis and Kronberg in the third inning.

GVSU added a run in the fourth as Kerrigan used a sacrifice fly to score junior Rebecca Plummer, who started the inning with a single to right center field. Both teams would record nine hits, but the Lakers could only push the two runs across the board and Millersville was able to use the four GVSU errors in its favor.

Junior Lauren Rohan (1-1) took the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits in four innings. She struck out four batters and walked three. Nicholson pitched the final two innings, allowing three runs on two hits.

Kerrigan totaled a 2-for-3 performance in the leadoff spot with an RBI, while rightfielder Becky Gill added two hits in three at-bats.

The Lakers return to the field on Monday (Mar. 2) for a pair of games against Bellevue (1:30 p.m.) and Winona State (3:30 p.m.).