April 3, 2010

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery 

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State used a pair of five-inning mercy rule contests to knock off Lake Superior State on Saturday morning (April 3) in Allendale. In a doubleheader that was pushed up earlier in the day to avoid the rain, GVSU totaled a 10-2 victory in the opening game before tallying an 11-1 win in game two. The home Lakers combined for 26 hits during the twinbill, including nine extra base hits.

With the wins, GVSU has now won 10 of its last 11 games and improves to 17-9 on the year with a 5-1 record in the GLIAC. Lake Superior State falls to 5-25 overall with an 0-8 record in league play. On Thursday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Grand Valley State swept LSSU by 10-1 and 4-0 scores. The home doubleheader on Saturday will be GVSU's last until April 17 against visiting Ashland.

In the opener, Lake Superior State totaled single runs in both the first and third innings off of Grand Valley State starting pitcher Andrea Nicholson. Those would be the only two runs Nicholson would allow, as GVSU would score the final 10 runs of the game. Opening up the bottom of the third inning, freshman center fielder Nellie Kosola reached on a bunt single. Next up was freshman Kayleigh Bertram and the second baseman smashed her third homer of the season to left center field, tying the game at 2-2.

Leading off the fourth inning, sophomore catcher Carli Raisutis put GVSU ahead to stay with a towering solo homer to left field, making the score 3-2. The home Lakers would then add seven more runs in the fifth inning, ending the game on the eight-run mercy rule. During the inning, senior Breanne Kronberg notched an RBI single, Raisutis added a run-scoring single, left fielder Rebecca Plummer picked up a two-run double, and Kosola scored a run with a single down the left field line.

Five different Lakers had two or more hits for GVSU, as spots six through nine in the lineup combined to go 9-for-12 at the plate with four runs scored and five RBI. All four players (Raisutis, Plummer, right fielder Lesley Bates, and shortstop Maggie Kerrigan) had at least two hits, with Plummer going 3-for-3 with two runs driven in. Raisutis, Kosola, and Bertram all scored two runs apiece, while Bertram and Raisutis each drove in a pair of runs. Nicholson improved to 7-4 on the year with a solid performance. She allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings pitched, walking two batters and striking out four.

The Grand Valley State offense continued right where it left off in game two, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. After Kosola led off the game with a single and freshman Katie Martin reached on an error, Kronberg tripled to right field, which scored both runners and gave GVSU a 2-0 lead. Later in the frame, an RBI single from senior Stephanee Schrader put the score at 4-0 before Lake Superior State came to the plate.

GVSU added a run in the second inning on an RBI triple from Bertram, which scored right fielder Tina Briggs, who led off the frame with an infield single. A single from freshman Emily Jones in the third inning scored catcher Emily Holt (one-out double) to push the lead out to 6-1. In the fourth inning, Bertram walked with one out and moved to third on Martin's double off the wall in right center field. Kronberg then totaled a sacrifice fly which scored Bertram, while Martin was pushed home on an RBI double to left field from Plummer. After four innings, GVSU was ahead 8-1.

In the fifth inning, Grand Valley State loaded the bases for Martin, who cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center field, which scored Briggs (fielder's choice), Teutsch (bunt single), and Bertram (fielder's choice). Martin would then shut down LSSU on the mound, as she allowed just two base hits and one unearned run to improve to 8-3 on the season. She struck out six batters, while lowering her team-best earned run average to 0.82 with 67 strikeouts in 68 innings.

11 Grand Valley State players recorded a hit in game two, as Martin (2-for-4, two runs, three RBI) was the only Laker with more than one hit. Bertram and Briggs both scored twice, while Kronberg added three RBI. GVSU totaled five doubles, two triples, and two homers during the twinbill, while hitting .473 in the two games.

The Lakers hit the road for their next four doubleheaders, as GVSU will take on Northwood next Thursday (April 8) at 3:30 p.m.