March 18, 2012

Box Score - Game One (W, 9-0)

Box Score - Game Two (W, 5-1)

Urbana, Ohio - A pair of strong pitching performances, coupled with 25 base hits, pushed #15 Grand Valley State past Urbana in a road doubleheader in Ohio on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 18). The Lakers cruised to a 9-0 five-inning victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 5-1 win in the nightcap.

GVSU, the top team in Division II last season in batting average, home runs, slugging percentage, and total bases put together a very nice offensive performance on Sunday, combining for 14 runs and 25 hits. The Lakers moved to 15-3 on the season, while Urbana falls to 5-11 this year. On Mar. 5 in Clermont, Fla., Grand Valley State defeated the Blue Knights 8-0 in a mercy rule effort to push the Lakers' scoring margin over Urbana this season to 22-1.

Junior second baseman Kayleigh Bertram started the scoring in the first game with a solo home run to left center field in the top of the second inning. GVSU then exploded for seven runs on nine hits in the third inning to open up an 8-0 advantage. Sophomore Miranda Cleary, who tallied his first homer of the season on Saturday against Walsh, tagged another roundtripper on Sunday - this one a three-run blast to up the lead to 4-0.

After Cleary's three-run shot, sophomore Tonya Calkins singled and senior Carli Raisutis doubled. Bertram again came through, this time with a two-run double down the left field line, scoring both Calkins and Raisutis. Run-scoring singles from senior Maggie Kerrigan and junior Nellie Kosola pushed the score out to 8-0. The Lakers closed out their scoring on a run in the fifth inning that came off of an Urbana error.

All that run support was more than enough for senior righthander Andrea Nicholson, who moved to 7-2 on the season. She cruised through the win by striking out seven batters and allowing just three hits and one walk in four innings of work. Sophomore Kayla Hurd worked a perfect 1-2-3 fifth inning to close out the win.

Five Lakers tallied two hits apiece in the opening game. Kosola (RBI), Cleary (homer, three RBI, run), Raisutis (two doubles, run), Bertram (double, home run, two runs, three RBI), and rightfielder Emily Jones (run) were all 2-for-3 in the opener.

GVSU had to survive three lightening delays in the second game before earning the 5-1 win in a game that took 2:55 to complete. The Lakers put two runs on the board in the top of the first inning on five consecutive singles. After shortstop Briauna Taylor and designated player Katie Martin both singled with one out, Cleary delivered an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Calkins also singled up the middle to load the bases for Bertram, who singled to right field and scored Martin for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth inning and the score still 2-0, Kosola worked a two-out walk. Taylor followed with a two-run homer to right field, her fourth home run of the season. After Urbana scored a run in the bottom of the frame, Kosola added a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth for the final run of the game.

GVSU junior Hannah Santora was again strong in the circle, giving up only three hits and one unearned run in a complete-game performance. Santora, who allowed three hits in a seven-inning shutout against Walsh on Saturday, walked four batters and tallied five strikeouts on Sunday to push her record to 6-1 this year.

Martin went 3-for-3 in the nightcap and scored a run, while Taylor also notched a multi-hit contest by going 2-for-4 with the homer, two runs, and two RBI.

The Lakers return home for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 20) in Allendale. GVSU takes on Rochester in a twinbill slated for a 3:00 p.m. start.