April 2, 2010

Final Stats

Allendale, Mich. - After not recording a base hit in the opening game against Northwood on Friday (April 2) in Allendale, Grand Valley State scored 13 runs on 16 hits to split a softball doubleheader with the Timberwolves. NU won the opener by a 7-0 score, while the Lakers responded with a decisive 13-2 victory in game two of the twinbill.

The doubleheader was GVSU's second in as many days, as the Lakers swept a pair of games at Lake Superior State on Thursday (April 1) to push their win streak to seven straight games. With the split, Grand Valley State is now 15-9 on the year with a 3-1 record in the GLIAC, while Northwood is 11-10 this season with a matching 3-1 conference tally. Northwood banged out double-digits in hits in both games, while Timberwolf pitcher Megan Eddy kept the Lakers off the board in game one and did not allow a base hit in seven innings.

NU tallied two runs in the second inning, a solo run in the fourth frame, and four runs in the sixth inning to blow the game wide open. The Timberwolves would not need nearly that many runs, as Eddy was lights out by allowing just three baserunners - two on walks, one on an error. She struck out six batters and induced 14 ground ball outs to improve to 4-1 on the season. Northwood had four players record two hits, as the Timberwolves notched a dozen hits in the opener.

Sophomore Andrea Nicholson took the loss, even though she put up a solid statline. Nicholson (6-4) allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits in five innings, keeping the Lakers within striking distance. Senior Lauren Rohan closed out the game, pitching two innings and giving up four runs.

Game two was a completely different story, as GVSU (the visiting team in the second game) scored four runs before Northwood came to the plate. Freshman Kayleigh Bertram doubled to left center and then moved to third base with two outs. She scored on an RBI single from senior Breanne Kronberg to give the Lakers their first run of the day. After a single from Stephanee Schrader and a walk to freshman Emily Holt, Eddy replaced Northwood starting pitcher Jessica Wojcik, looking to duplicate her first game dominance.

Senior left fielder Rebecca Plummer had other ideas, as she lined a bases-clearing double to right field, scoring Kronberg, Schrader, and Holt and giving GVSU a 4-0 advantage. Northwood would tally single runs in the second and third innings off of Laker starter Katie Martin, but those would be the only times the Timberwolves crossed the plate in the second game.

Holt's RBI double to right center in the fifth inning scored pinch runner Jackie Teutsch to up the Laker lead to 5-2. Grand Valley State would open up the game in the sixth inning. Senior Tina Briggs led off with a single and moved to third on a single from Bertram. After a passed ball allowed Briggs to score and Bertram to move to second base, Martin blasted a two-run bomb to left field that easily cleared the scoredboard behind the fence. The homer was the eighth of Martin's freshman season, which places her in a tie for fifth place in a single season in GVSU history.

Martin's blast made the score 8-2, but the Lakers would add five more runs in the seventh inning, which featured a three-run homer from Kronberg to left field. It was Kronberg's first homerun of the season, as she is now ninth in program history with 11 career homers. Kronberg was 3-for-5 on the game with two runs scored and four RBI, as she was one of six GVSU players with at least two hits.

Bertram recorded a 3-for-4 effort in game two, while scoring three runs, as Plummer was 2-for-3 with three ribbies. Holt went 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and an RBI, while Schrader was 2-for-5 with a run scored. On the hill, Martin scattered 10 base hits in seven innings, giving up two unearned runs. She did not walk a batter and struck out six in improving to 7-3 on the year. At the plate, Martin was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and two RBI.

GVSU's doubleheader against Lake Superior State set for Saturday (April 3) was moved to earlier in the day due to potential weather concerns in the early afternoon. Originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m., the teams will look to play two games starting at 10:00 a.m.