Box Score - Game One (W, 17-3)
Box Score - Game Two (W, 7-4)
Allendale, Mich. - #14 Grand Valley State brought out the big sticks on Wednesday afternoon (Mar. 28), as the Lakers pushed their winning streak to seven games with a doubleheader sweep at Northwood. GVSU combined to hit six home runs in the twinbill, earning victories of 17-3 and 7-4 over the Timberwolves.
After the Lakers dropped their GLIAC opener at Tiffin last Friday (Mar. 23), GVSU has now rattled off seven consecutive league wins - and it did so against Northwood with the explosive offense Laker fans saw last year. Grand Valley State (24-4 overall, 7-1 GLIAC) smacked six home runs off Northwood pitching, including four roundtrippers in the first game. The Lakers also had a pair of multi-homer games, as sophomore Miranda Cleary hit two home runs in game one and junior Emily Jones smacked a pair of dingers in the second game, giving her three blasts on the day.
The opening inning of game one saw GVSU total five runs on two big swings of the bat. After back-to-back one-out walks to sophomore Briauna Taylor and junior Katie Martin, Jones smashed a three-run homer to left field for a 3-0 advantage. It was the second home run of the year for Jones, who is getting hot at the plate after tallying 12 RBI in seven games last week. Immediately following Jones' blast, junior Kayleigh Bertram singled to left field and sophomore Tonya Calkins made it a 5-0 game after a two-run bomb to center field. The roundtripper was Calkins' first of the year.
Northwood (5-15 overall, 2-6 GLIAC) answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, after three consecutive walks loaded the bases for Stacey Klonowski, the leading home run hitter in the GLIAC this season. Klonowski did not add to her home run total, but she did double to right center field, driving in a pair of runs, and cutting the deficit to 5-2.
Grand Valley State came right back in the top of the second and managed to score six more runs on just three hits, all of came with two outs in the inning. Martin and Jones walked with two outs and Martin scored on Bertram's single up the middle. Calkins came up with an RBI single (scoring Jones) for an 8-2 cushion. After senior catcher Carli Raisutis reached on an error, which scored Bertram, Cleary stepped to the plate. She delivered a three-run homer to right center field, giving the Lakers an 11-2 lead after just one and a half innings.
Cleary would not be done with the long ball in game one. With a 12-3 advantage after a Jones RBI single in the third inning, Cleary came up in the fourth frame with a pair of runners (junior Maggie Kopas, pinch-running for Calkins, and Raisutis) on base after drawing a walk. This time, Cleary deposited another three-run blast over the fence in center field for her second roundtripper of the game and a 15-2 lead. It was the fourth multi-homer game of Cleary's career, as she also hit two home runs against Lake Erie, Northwood, and Lake Superior State last season.
The Lakers closed out the scoring in the top of the fifth inning. Martin led off with a single, which was followed by a walk to pinch hitter Alyssa Sharrard. Consecutive singles from junior KC Christopher and Kopas drove in Martin. Raisutis then added the final run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Sharrard for the 17th GVSU tally in the opener.
Four players notched multi-hit efforts, led by Cleary's two-homer performance. She finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a career-high six RBI. Jones went 2-for-2 with a homer, two runs, and four ribbies, while Calkins was also 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three runs driven in. Bertram went 2-for-3 and scored twice, while Martin scored three times despite having just two official at-bats, as she walked twice. Of GVSU's 13 base hits, nine were singles and four were home runs.
Getting the victory in the circle for the Lakers was senior Andrea Nicholson. She allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in five innings to move to 10-3 on the season. For the first time this year, Nicholson did not record a strikeout, while her six walks were the most she has issued since her freshman campaign.
The Lakers switched back to small ball in the first inning of game two. After junior Nellie Kosola reached on an infield single, she was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Briauna Taylor. Martin then followed with a single up the middle and GVSU had an early 1-0 lead. Northwood countered with a run-scoring single in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the third inning, it was more small ball for Grand Valley State. The Lakers followed the exact same script: a Kosola bunt single, a sacrifice bunt from Taylor, and an RBI single up the middle from Martin. GVSU, however, quickly changed things up after that, as Jones followed with her second homer of the day, a two-run shot down the right field line. At this point, the Lakers led 4-1.
Northwood managed to tie the score with one run in the fourth inning and two more tallies in the fifth, with the tying run coming on a double steal. The Timberwolves actually scored the two runs in the fifth stanza without the benefit of a base hit, as NU used two walks, an error, and a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 4-4.
Once again, GVSU would answer and it did so via the home run. After Taylor reached on a one-out single up the middle, Jones came up two batters later and worked through a 10-pitch at-bat before finally smacking another ball out of the park. This roundtripper also went to right field and gave Jones her second home run of the game, third of the day, and fourth of the season. More importantly, the Lakers led by a 6-4 score.
GVSU righty Hannah Santora came out in the top of the sixth inning and set Northwood down in order, which was key. The Lakers provided Santora with an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning, as Kopas delivered a pinch-hit single up the middle, scoring senior Becky Gill (pinch-running for Cleary).
Santora closed out the game in the seventh inning and finished off the sweep for Grand Valley State. She improves to 11-1 on the season after allowing four runs (two earned) and seven hits in the complete game win. Santora walked four batters and struck out five Timberwolves.
Jones was the story of game two for the Lakers, as she went 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored, and four RBI. For the day, the junior slugger went 4-for-5, scored four times, hit three homers, and delivered eight RBI. Jones has recorded 20 RBI since last Tuesday's doubleheader wins over Rochester. Martin was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI, while Kosola went 2-for-3 and scored a pair of runs.
Grand Valley State returns home and will stay in Allendale for the foreseeable future. The Lakers have five consecutive home doubleheaders - and eight of their next nine twinbills - at home. On Saturday (Mar. 31), GVSU hosts Ferris State in a pair of games that are scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.
