March 18, 2012
Game One Box Score (7-1 W)
Game Two Box Score (7-2 W)
Urbana, Ohio - The #11 Grand Valley State baseball team completed a four-game weekend sweep of Urbana on Sunday (Mar. 18), taking the doubleheader 7-1 and 7-2 to cap off the series. Two more solid pitching performances for the Lakers led the way.
For the third straight game, GVSU scored in the opening frame and in game one it was thanks to a two-RBI double by senior Steve Anderson to put the Lakers up 2-0 early.
After the Blue Knights pushed across a single run in the third, GVSU responded with two more in the top of the fourth. Senior Jared Cowan had his first of four hits on the day, a single to right field, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Jamie Potts doubled him in with a shot to the gap in left field and a single to left from junior Chris Rudenga brought Potts around to make it a 4-1 game.
GVSU added some insurance runs in the final two innings of the game. In the top of the sixth, freshman Mike Nadratowski reached to lead off and Rudenga walked to follow him up. After a double steal and a walk loaded the bases, senior Derrik Strzalkowski doubled in two runs to make it 6-1. Finally in the seventh, Cowan doubled and then came across to score on a single by Potts to make it 7-1, the final tally for the game.
Senior Cory Baker (3-0), the reining GLIAC Pitcher of the Week, was impressive yet again for the Lakers, going six strong innings and yielding only four hits while striking out seven. The single run scored by Urbana was unearned, leaving Baker with 20 innings of work this season and no earned runs allowed.
Offensively, Cowan continued his hot streak, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Potts finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, two RBI and a walk. Anderson and Strzalkowski each finished with one hit and two RBI while Rudenga was 1-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and two walks. The Lakers stole four bases in the game, one each by Nadratowski (3), Rudenga (2), Brugnoni (1) and Potts (2).
In game two, the scoring again started with a lead-off hit by Cowan. After a single to right to begin the third inning, Cowan moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and was brought in by fellow catcher, senior Zach Laupp, on a single up the middle. Rudenga then deposited his first homer of the season over the fence, giving GVSU an early 3-0 lead.
An RBI single by freshman Kevin Zak in the fourth gave GVSU a 4-0 lead and Anderson added insurance runs in the fifth with a two-RBI double down the left field line to make it 6-0.
Urbana pushed across single runs in the fifth and seventh and Anderson added another for the Lakers in the top of the seventh, a solo shot in to left field for his third long ball of the season.
Eight of the nine position starters in the game for the Lakers had a hit. Anderson paced the offense with a 3-for-4 performance, two runs scored and three RBI. He had a double, his sixth of the year, and his third home run of the season. Zak was the only other Laker with multiple hits, going 2-for-2 with an RBI. Rudenga finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs, a walk and two RBI, both coming off his first home run of the season. Rudenga also stole his third base of the year. Laupp finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Senior Blake Batteast, junior Stephen Claypool and Cowan each went 1-for-3 in the game.
On the mound, junior Anthony Campanella (1-1) won his first game as a Laker, tossing five innings and allowing four hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out a season-high six. Seniors Brett Gwaltney and Cory Rademacher combined for the last two innings of work, striking out three.
For the four game series, the Laker pitching staff yielded only 18 hits, an average of 4.5 per game, and had only a 0.96 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.
The Lakers are now 10-4 on the season while Urbana falls to 5-10.
GVSU will begin GLIAC play this weekend with a four-game series against Lake Erie to kick off the home schedule for the Laker baseball team. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday (Mar. 24) at the GVSU Baseball Field.
