April 10, 2009

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State and Hillsdale split a GLIAC doubleheader on Friday afternoon (April 10) at GVSU Softball Field, as the teams used their own late game magic to win its respective game. The Lakers scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the opener, 10-3, while Hillsdale used a two-out, walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh frame to win the nightcap, 6-5.

The split puts Grand Valley State at 28-9 overall with an 8-4 league mark, while Hillsdale is now 11-17 with a 5-11 conference tally. With the loss in game two, GVSU's five-game win streak comes to a halt. That loss was also the Lakers' first home defeat in 14 games.

In the opening game victory, GVSU head coach Doug Woods recorded his 700th career win. His entire 19-year career has been spent at Grand Valley State and he now totes an impressive 700-310-3 overall record.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, senior shortstop Nichole Woityra tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single, scoring left fielder Karen Walters. Three batters later, freshman catcher Carli Raisutis came up with the bases loaded and reached on a fielding error by the Charger third baseman, scoring both Woityra and Becky Gill, who reached base on a bunt single. GVSU now led, 3-1.

The Chargers added single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings, with pitcher Laura Homan's solo homerun tying the game at 3-3 in the sixth frame. However, the Laker offense exploded in the bottom of the frame, tallying seven runs on seven hits. Gill gave GVSU a 4-3 lead on an RBI single up the middle.

With two runners on base and one out, Woods made an interesting substitution. He replaced leadoff hitter Tina Briggs, who was hitting .323 entering the game, with pinch hitter Lesley Bates. Woods showed why he's won 700 games, as Bates delivered a pinch-hit two-run single up the middle, upping the Laker lead to 6-3. Senior Breanne Kronberg followed two batters later with an RBI double and Raisutis and third baseman Becky Rudenga added run-scoring singles to blow the game wide open at 10-3.

That was more than enough run support for Laker starter Lori Andjelich. The senior scattered 10 hits, allowing three runs. She walked one batter and recorded eight strikeouts, in improving to 16-4 on the season.

Four GVSU players tallied multi-hit games, as the Lakers pounded out 11 base hits. Kronberg, Rudenga, Gill, and right fielder Rebecca Plummer all had two hits apiece. Gill and Walters each scored twice, while Bates led the way with a pair of RBI.

Game two saw a quick 3-3 score after just one inning of play. First baseman Stephanee Schrader used a bloop single to drive in the Lakers' first run and was followed by Raisutis' RBI double to left center field. After a run-scoring single from Rudenga, GVSU was ahead, 3-0.

The Chargers answered back and tallied three runs of their own off of freshman right-hander Andrea Nicholson, as their first four batters reached base. Nicholson battled, however, and got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam by retiring the final two batters of the inning.

Hillsdale added a pair of runs in the third inning, scoring on a throwing error by Nicholson, to jump ahead 5-3. GVSU responded with two in the top of the fourth frame, as Briggs reached on a bunt single, Woityra followed with a single up the middle, and Kronberg drove in Briggs with an RBI double. Woityra was then pushed home by a Raisutis RBI single, tying the game at 5-5.

The score would remain that way until the bottom of the seventh inning. Homan singled up the middle with one out off of Laker reliever Lauren Rohan. After Rohan struck out Gabrielle Chartier for the second out, Jessica Guertin smashed a double to center field, scoring Homan for the game-winning run.

Rohan (7-4) took the loss, after pitching well in relief. She threw 3.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits. She did not walk a batter and struck out three Chargers. Nicholson pitched three innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits. She struck out a pair of batters.

Raisutis led the Laker offense with a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance, while Briggs went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Woityra also crossed home plate twice for GVSU.

The Lakers return to the field on Saturday for a home doubleheader against Findlay, starting at 1:00 p.m.