April 11, 2012
Game One Box Score (3-2 W, 8 inn.)
Game Two Box Score (4-2 W)
Allendale, Mich. - The 20th-ranked Grand Valley State baseball team got its bats going just in time to come back and win game one in walk-off fashion, 3-2, then swept Northwood with a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.
In game one, the story throughout six innings was Northwood starter Mark Heard. Heard held the Lakers to only one hit through six innings of play, a lone single by sophomore Giancarlo Brugnoni (Grosse Pointe, Mich./De La Salle) in the bottom of the second inning.
Northwood put up single runs in the top of the third and sixth innings to take a 2-0 lead, and Heard appeared to be rolling to a dominating victory.
The nightmare for the Timberwolves began in the bottom of the seventh when senior Jared Cowan (Davison, Mich.) singled back up the middle to begin the rally. After senior Blake Batteast (South Bend, Ind./Glen Oaks C.C.) pinch-ran for Cowan, Brugnoni singled through the left side to put two runners on with nobody out. Senior Derrik Strzalkowski (London, Ont./Kellogg C.C.) followed with a chopper through the right side that scored Batteast, cutting the Northwood lead in half at 2-1.
Junior Chris Rudenga (South Holland, Ill./Illiana Christian) then attempted to sacrifice both runners in to scoring position, but the bunt was mis-handled by Heard and everyone was safe, loading the bases with nobody out. Junior Stephen Claypool (Carleton, Mich./Ball State) came in as a pinch-hitter and freshman Jamie Potts (Muskegon, Mich./Oakridge) came in to pinch-run at second as the potential game-winning run. Claypool came up clutch, looping a single in to left-center field that scored Brugnoni to tie the game at two and making it the fifth straight Laker to reach base to start the inning.
Northwood then employed a five-infielder defensive look, placing an infielder in to the game in place of the center fielder and brought him on to the grass between the second baseman and shortstop, playing with two outfielders. The move paid off for the Timberwolves, temporarily at least, as the next batter hit a ground ball that Northwood came home with to get one out. After a strikeout for out number two, the Timberwolves moved back in to a normal defensive look and a ground ball to short got knocked down and flipped to second for the third out, sending the game to extra innings tied at two. In the seventh inning alone, the Lakers had two runs on four hits when they went the previous six innings with no runs on one hit.
Northwood put two runners on with one out in the top of the eighth, but junior Brad Zambron (Waterford, Mich./Brother Rice) coaxed a pop-up just behind the bag at second and a ground ball to third to send the game to the bottom of the inning.
The biggest moment of the game came when senior Steve Anderson (Northville, Mich.) led off the bottom of the eighth with a long triple off the wall in right-center field. Northwood then intentionally walked both Zach Laupp (Mattawan, Mich.) and Brugnoni to load the bases again with nobody out and brought yet another fifth infielder in. This time, however, Potts came to the plate and hit a chopper between the pulled in first and second basemen, bringing home Anderson for the 3-2 walk-off victory.
Zambron (1-1) earned the win in relief, working the final two outs with one hit allowed. Senior Jacob Cox (Dowagiac, Mich./Lake Michigan College) was clutch in relief, throwing 1.2 innings and allowing no hits with two strikeouts. Starter Cory Baker (Byron Center, Mich./North Dakota) worked 5.2 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts.
Offensive, Brugnoni was the only Laker with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with one run and a walk. Strzalkowski, Potts and Claypool each had one hit and one RBI in the contest.
Cody Fenskie (3-1) took the loss for Northwood, allowing two hits, two walks (both intentional) and the game-winning run without getting an out. Heard finished with a line of seven innings pitched, five hits, two runs and two walks allowed with four strikeouts.
In game two, the Lakers were sure to get on the board early and not get put in a hole again, doing just that with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. After two quick outs in the frame, Strzalkowski came through with his first home run of the year, a towering fly ball that caught the wind and was taken over the fence and around the right field foul pole. With a 1-0 lead in hand, Rudenga followed with a single deep behind the bag at second and Claypool singled in to center field to put two on. Laupp then singled in to left-center, bringing Rudenga in to score and freshman Mike Nadratowski (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) hit a ball deep in the hole on the right side that was gloved by the fielder, but Nadratowski beat out the throw to first, allowing Claypool to score and make it a 3-0 Laker lead.
Northwood loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fifth, but were only manage to get one run out of the exchange, as starter Anthony Campanella (Carol Stream, Ill./Elgin C.C.) got a double play ball and a ground ball to first to get out of trouble with a 3-1 lead.
GVSU responded with a single run in the bottom of the frame, as Laupp scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-1 game.
Zambron came in to work the top of the seventh, his second appearance of the day. After a fly out to center field, Northwood put a man on with an infield error and a single in to left field put two runners on base with one out. Zambron got a big strikeout for out number two, but a ball then got shot up the middle that bounced off Zambron's arm and caromed in to short left field, allowing a run to cross and make it a 4-2 game. Zambron ended the game with yet another strikeout, however, nailing down his eighth save of the year.
Campanella (4-1) got the victory, working six innings and allowing only four hits with no earned runs and three strikeouts.
For the second time on the day, the Lakers had only one player with multiple hits, Nadratowski earning the honor in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with one RBI. Strzalkowski and Laupp each had one hit, one run and one RBI in the game.
Jake Winicki (2-3) took the loss for Northwood, going the distance with six hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks allowed with one strikeout. Austin Rinard and Jason Fracassa both went 2-for-3 in the contest.
With the sweep, the Lakers move to 22-10 on the year with a 12-6 record in the GLIAC, moving in to a tie for second in the GLIAC. Northwood falls to 14-13 on the year with a 5-11 mark in the conference.
The Lakers will get back to their busy week on Saturday (Apr. 14) when they welcome Tiffin in to town for the first of two doubleheaders against the Dragons at 1 p.m.
