March 21, 2014
Game One Box Score (3-0 W)
Game Two Box Score (4-1 W)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Valley State baseball team used a pair of dominant pitching performances to pick up a huge sweep of Wayne State on Friday (Mar. 21), taking game one 3-0 in a two-hit shutout and winning game two 4-1 with a three-hit performance at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
After the Lakers put up a three-hit shutout against Hillsdale on Thursday (Mar. 20), the pitching staff kept rolling on Friday, as the Lakers two-hit the Warriors in game one and allowed only three hits in game two. All told, GVSU has allowed one unearned run and eight hits in the last 23 innings of baseball.
The sweep moves the Lakers to 12-5 overall with a 3-0 mark in the GLIAC, while Wayne State falls to 13-6 overall with a 2-2 record in the conference. The same two teams will be back in action on Saturday (Mar. 22) at 11 a.m. for a nine-inning game at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
In the first game of the day, starting pitcher Aaron Jensen took to the mound and allowed two singles in the first inning, but was lights out for the next six innings. Wayne State's threat in that first inning was erased when a single to left field with a runner on second resulted in a throw behind the runner at third who was tagged out.
The Lakers were held off the board themselves until the bottom of the sixth inning. In that frame, Kevin Zak was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved to second on a single from Giancarlo Brugnoni. Jamie Potts then attempted to sacrifice both runners over, but a throwing error to first resulted in the bases loaded with nobody out. All three runners then moved up on a wild pitch and Aaron Overbeck brought the second run in on a single through the left side of the infield to make it a 2-0 game. Taylor Banks then tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt of his own and the Wayne State defense opted to try and get the runner out at third and were unsuccessful. Stuart Eisler finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Potts to cross the plate and give GVSU a 3-0 lead.
Wayne State's last chance in the seventh began with a one-out walk, but Chris Ripple then came in, and despite walking the first batter, got a strikeout and a groundout to preserve the victory and earn his first of two saves on the day.
Jensen's (3-2) stellar line included 6.1 innings on the mound with only two hits allowed and five strikeouts. Ripple's fourth save of the season came with 0.2 innings of work with one strikeout.
Overbeck led the offense with a 3-for-3, one-RBI performance. Zak, Brugnoni and Potts each had one hit and one run scored, while Eisler had an RBI.
In game two, Wayne State took an early lead, as the lead-off hitter reached first on a dropped third strike, stole second and scored on an RBI single back up the middle. From there, however, Wayne State went hitless up until the seventh inning as starter Evan Nietfeldt put together yet another strong performance.
Meanwhile, the GVSU offense was consistent throughout, putting up single tallies in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the second, Overbeck singled and Banks walked with one out, and the bases were loaded after Eisler singled. Joel Schipper then came to the plate and drew a bases-loaded walk, making it a 1-0 game.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was small ball that led to another run for the Lakers. Eisler laid down a bunt single to lead off the inning and Schipper walked on four pitches. Mike Nadratowski followed with a bunt single of his own to load the bases with nobody out. Jesse Abel pushed the second run of the game across on an RBI groundout to short to make it 2-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, the rally again started with a walk as Potts walked on four pitches to lead off the inning. After he moved to third on two groundouts, Eisler laced a single over the shortstop's head in to left-center field to push the lead out to 3-0.
The final run came across in the bottom of the sixth as Nadratowski singled to begin the inning, stole second and came in to score on a one-out RBI single from Zak to make it a 4-0 lead.
The Warriors threatened in the top of the seventh, getting a lead-off single and a one-out double to put two runners in scoring position. Ripple again came on in relief, getting a groundout back to the pitcher and a groundout to third to nail down his second save of the day and fifth of the season.
Nietfeldt (4-0) stayed undefeated on the year with 6.1 innings of three-hit work, as he allowed only one unearned run and struck out two. Ripple was perfect in his 0.2 innings of relief.
Both Nadratowski and Eisler had three hits and a run scored in the contest, while Nadratowski stole his seventh base of the year and Eisler stole his third. The offense was able to draw seven walks in the game, the eighth time in 17 games this season that GVSU had coaxed at least six walks in a game. Brugnoni, Potts and Schipper all walked twice in the contest, with Schipper's bases-loaded walk earning him an RBI.
