April 1, 2010

Box Score

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - Grand Valley State went on the road to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. on Thursday (April 1), as GVSU defeated Lake Superior State in both games of the doubleheader, 10-1 and 4-0. It was the GLIAC opener for Grand Valley State, as it has now won seven straight games. GVSU outhit LSSU in the two games, 28-7.

The wins put Grand Valley State at 14-8 overall with a 2-0 GLIAC mark, while Lake Superior State is now 5-21 on the year and 0-4 in league play. GVSU's last loss was on Mar. 20 at the Urbana Tournament, in which the team finished 3-1 and ended up as the tournament champions.

In the opening game, offense was easy to come by for Grand Valley State, as the visiting Lakers knocked out 18 base hits, while scoring seven runs in the first three innings. After Nellie Kosola singled to start the game for GVSU, Kayleigh Bertram doubled, putting runners at second and third. Katie Martin then singled home Kosola for the game's first run. Three batters later, senior Breanne Kronberg recorded a two-run double, which scored Martin and sophomore Carli Raisutis, who singled earlier in the frame. An RBI single from Becky Plummer then plated Kronberg, as GVSU led 4-0 before the defense took the field.

The top of the second inning was a mirror image of the first frame. Kosola and Bertram tallied back-to-back doubles, while Kosola was driven home by Martin's RBI single. Bertram scored later in the inning on a single from Raisutis, as the lead was now up to 6-0. A Kosola run-scoring single in the third inning put GVSU ahead, 7-1, as Lake Superior State tallied a run in the bottom of the second.

Grand Valley State got the score up to the mercy rule with three more runs in the fifth inning, as Kosola's RBI single pushed Plummer past home plate after she led off the inning with a double. Martin then tallied two more ribbies, as Kosola and Bertram (who also singled) each scored on her run-scoring double.

GVSU's offensive explosion was more than enough for starting pitcher Andrea Nicholson, who gave up one run on five hits in five innings, earning her sixth win of the season. She struck out two batters in improving to 6-3 on the year. Kosola, Bertram, and Martin (all freshmen) combined to go 10-for-12 on the day with four doubles, six runs scored, and six RBI. Kosola was 4-for-4 with a double, three runs, and two RBI, while Martin drove in four runs in a 3-for-4 performance. Bertram's three hits were matched by Raisutis (3-for-4) and Plummer (3-for-3) as the five Lakers that had three or more hits.

In the nightcap, Martin was dominant on the mound, allowing just two hits in seven innings, while walking three and striking out 11 batters. She also improves her record to 6-3, while receiving four runs and 10 hits of support from her offense. GVSU scored one run in the second and fifth frames and plated a pair in the third inning.

Senior Tina Briggs notched a two-out single in the second inning, which was followed by a single from Maggie Kerrigan. There was an error on the play, allowing Briggs to come all the way around from first base, giving GVSU a 1-0 lead. The visiting Lakers would expand on that score in their next at-bat, as Kronberg's two-out, two-run single would push Bertram (single) and Martin (walk) past home plate for a 3-0 score. Plummer picked up her fourth hit of the day with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning to score Martin, who led off the frame with a single of her own.

The GVSU offense was much more spread out in game two, as eight different Lakers recorded hits. Only Bertam and Martin had multi-hit contests, as Bertram was 2-for-4 and Martin notched a 2-for-3 outing with two runs scored. Kronberg's two RBI gave her 10 ribbies for the season, as she is the fifth Laker to reach double figures in RBI on the year.

Grand Valley State is back home tomorrow for a twinbill with Northwood at 3:30 p.m.