March 21, 2009

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Allendale, Mich. - Three innings of three runs apiece were enough in helping Grand Valley State defeat Lake Superior State on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 21) in Allendale. GVSU won the opener, 4-2, and closed the non-conference doubleheader with a 6-3 victory in game two, improving to 18-5 on the year and winners of 12 straight games.

All six runs in the first game were scored in the first two innings. Lake Superior State scored its only two runs of the game on its first three batters. Leadoff hitter Lacey Knoop tallied a bloop single and after moving to second on a bunt, she was pushed all the way home on Nichole Dunford's two-run blast to left field. LSSU led 2-0, but would not score the rest of the game.

Dunford's homer came off of GVSU starter Lori Andjelich, who took a six-inning no-hitter into the teams' March 15 meeting at the Urbana Blue Knight Invitational. Andjelich lost the no-no when Dunford singled up the middle to lead off the seventh inning in that game.

Grand Valley State answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, as shortstop Nichole Woityra tripled to right field. She scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Breanne Kronberg to cut the LSSU lead in half, 2-1. GVSU would add three runs in the second inning, aided by two Lake Superior State errors. Catcher Carli Raisutis led off the inning with a single and was on second with two outs. Junior Tina Briggs popped up, but the LSSU third baseman could not hold on to the ball and Raisutis moved to third base. Second baseman Maggie Kerrigan then hit a ground ball to third base and Lake Superior State's first baseman was unable to handle the throw. Raisutis scored to tie the game and Briggs moved to third base.

Woityra followed with an RBI single to center field, scoring Briggs, and Kronberg added a run with a single to left field, bringing in Kerrigan. GVSU took a 4-2 lead on three runs (all unearned), three hits, and two errors.

Andjelich (10-3) cruised from that point, allowing just three hits the rest of the game. She finished with a complete-game six-hitter and did not walk a batter. Andjelich struck out a pair of LSSU hitters and recorded 13 outs in the air. Woityra and left fielder Karen Walters both had a pair of hits, while Kronberg added two RBI.

The nightcap saw Lake Superior State again score twice in the top of the first inning. Second baseman Lorrie Chaperon notched a run-scoring double and GVSU committed an error, which led to LSSU's second run of the inning. Grand Valley State, however, responded with three runs in the home half of the inning. A two-out single up the middle from Raisutis scored Woityra. Third baseman Becky Rudenga followed with a two-run double to center field, scoring Stephanee Schrader and Raisutis.

Neither team would score again until the fifth inning, when GVSU added three more runs - its third three-run inning in the doubleheader. Woityra led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a bunt single from Kronberg. Schrader then pushed home Woityra on a run-scoring single to right center field to make the score 4-2. Rudenga provided two more insurance runs on a two-run single up the middle that scored Schrader and pinch-runner Amanda Rumsey.

Lake Superior State (6-17) threatened in the top of the seventh inning. LSSU made the score 6-3 and had two runners on base with the tying run at the plate before Andjelich retired Chelsea Maynard on a groundball to end the game. Andjelich was pitching in relief of starter Lauren Rohan (5-1), who tossed 6.1 innings. Rohan scattered 10 hits and gave up three runs (two unearned), while walking three and striking out a pair. She totaled 13 groundball outs. Andjelich earned her first save of the season.

The GVSU 4-5-6 hitters (Schrader, Raisutis, and Rudenga) combined for six of the team's seven hits, all six runs batted in, and three runs. Rudenga's two base hits and four RBI paced the offense. Schrader and Raisutis also had two hits apiece, with Schrader and Woityra both scoring two runs.

Grand Valley State opens up GLIAC play on Wednesday (Mar. 25) against Northwood in a home doubleheader slated for 3:00 p.m.