Box Score - Game One (W, 9-0)
Box Score - Game Two (W, 13-3)
Allendale, Mich. -
Grand Valley State closed out the home portion of its 2012 regular season in stellar fashion, easily handling visiting Lake Erie on Sunday afternoon (Apr. 15). The #17 Lakers owned a 9-0 mercy rule victory in the opener before winning 13-3 in game two of the twinbill.
GVSU put together a big five-run sixth inning in game one and collected 12 base hits in the win. A three-run home run to center field from sophomore Tonya Calkins pushed the score past the eight-run mercy rule. The Lakers then tacked on 17 base hits in game two, as three GVSU players had three hits apiece and junior Maggie Kopas delivered five RBI in only two at-bats.
With the sweep, Grand Valley State completed a successful final home weekend, winning five of its six games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Lakers, who went 6-2 throughout the entire week, are now 36-10 overall and 19-7 in conference play. GVSU's 19 GLIAC wins are the second-most in school history, second only to last season's 23 victories. Lake Erie drops to 5-36 on the year and 2-22 in league games.
In the opener, Grand Valley State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run single to left center field from sophomore Miranda Cleary. The run-scoring hit drove in junior Kayleigh Bertram (who singled up the middle) and Calkins (reached on an error after a sacrifice bunt attempt).
Junior pitcher Hannah Santora had little problem with the Lake Erie offense. Even when the Storm got to Santora for four hits in the first four innings, she was backed by strong defense. Sophomore shortstop Briauna Taylor turned a pair of double plays - one the first inning, the other in the fourth - on ground balls up the middle.
The score remained 2-0 until the fourth frame, when GVSU used sacrifice flies from Taylor and junior Katie Martin to up the advantage to 4-0. Santora would retire all six batters she faced in the fifth and sixth innings and was rewarded as the Lakers plated five runs in the bottom of the sixth.
After Taylor led off with a bunt single, Martin ripped a sharp single to left field. Junior Emily Jones attempted to move both runners up on a sacrifice bunt, but the Lake Erie catcher threw the ball past the first baseman, allowing Taylor to come around and score. The next batter was Kopas, as she was brought in to pinch hit. She did just that, connecting for a single through the left side, scoring Martin for a 6-0 score.
Moments later, Calkins delivered a long drive to center field, through the blustery winds and over the fence for a three-run home run that ended the game due to mercy rule. Four Lakers - Bertram, Cleary, junior Nellie Kosola, and senior Carli Raisutis - had two hits apiece, while Cleary added a pair of RBI. Calkins went 1-for-3, scored twice, and drove in three runs.
Santora cruised to her 18th victory of the season, as she now sports an 18-2 record. In six innings of work, she allowed just four base hits and did not walk a batter. Santora struck out a pair of LEC hitters.
Grand Valley State picked up right where it left off in the top of the first inning of game two. Kosola doubled to left center to lead off the game and Taylor followed with a single to left. That set the table for Martin, who notched her fourth home run of the week, a drive to straightaway center field that just cleared the fence for a three-run blast.
Sophomore pitcher Kayla Hurd would hold Lake Erie at bay and keep the Lakers at a 3-0 advantage until the fourth inning, when GVSU would push two more runs across the plate. Kosola notched a two-out single, stole second, and was driven in on a double to left field from Taylor. The hit initially appeared that it was easily going to clear the fence for a home run, but the wind held the ball up in the air, as Taylor had to settle for an RBI two-bagger. Martin also followed with a double, hers to left center field, scoring Taylor for a 5-0 cushion.
In the sixth inning, the Lakers notched five more runs on four hits. Kopas came up with two runners on base and also smacked a home run to center field for her second roundtripper this season. Later in the stanza, Taylor would pick up an RBI single with the bases loaded, while GVSU would actually score two runs on the play thanks to a fielding error.
The 10-0 lead would have been enough for a mercy rule, but Lake Erie finally got to Hurd after she tossed five scoreless innings to start the contest. The Storm notched three runs on six hits to extend the contest and push Hurd out of the game.
With an extra at-bat, Grand Valley State supplied three more runs in the top of the seventh, two of which came on a double down the right field line from Kopas, giving her five RBI in the game. Kopas later scored on a wild pitch and a throwing error from the catcher.
Santora came in to relieve Hurd and get the Lakers out of a jam in the sixth inning and held Lake Erie off the board in the seventh, as well. Hurd moves to 3-0 on the season, scattering nine hits and three runs over a career-high 5.2 innings in the circle. Santora fanned three of the five batters she faced in game two and pushes her scoreless streak to 18.2 innings, having not given up a run during that stretch.
Offensively, there were many strong performances for GVSU. Kosola was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Taylor went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBI. Continuing through the order, Martin was 2-for-4 with a double, her seventh home run, two runs scored, and four runs driven in. Calkins, the number four hitter in the nightcap, was 3-for-4 and scored a run. Kopas was 2-for-2 with the two-run double, the three-run homer, two runs scored, and five RBI. She was 3-for-3 with six RBI during the doubleheader.
Grand Valley State heads to Hillsdale on Wednesday (Apr. 18) for a rematch with the Chargers. On Apr. 4 in Allendale, Hillsdale won game one by a 3-0 score before the Lakers earned the split with a 3-2 win. Wednesday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start.
