March 22, 2014
Box Score
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Valley State baseball team, particularly the pitching staff, continues to put together an impressive run, as the Lakers shut out Wayne State on Saturday (Mar. 22), 3-0, the team's third shutout in four games.
Sophomore Patrick Kelly went the distance in the nine-inning game, allowing only four hits on the day at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
Kelly sat the Warriors down in order in six of the nine innings on the day and needed only 105 pitches to traverse the Wayne State lineup over nine innings. It's the second straight time that Kelly has thrown a complete game shutout against Wayne State, as he did the same against the Warriors in the GLIAC Tournament in 2013.
The victory moves the Lakers to 13-5 overall on the year with a 4-0 mark in the GLIAC, while Wayne State falls to 13-7 overall with a 2-3 conference record.
GVSU will continue its make-shift homestand with a nine-inning game against Northwood on Monday (Mar. 24) at 3 p.m. at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
In what is now becoming a habit for GVSU, the Lakers got on the board early on, scoring the only run they would need in the bottom of the first. Jesse Abel drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a groundout. Giancarlo Brugnoni delivered what turned out to be the game-winning hit with a double off the wall in right field to make it a 1-0 game.
Wayne State got a lead-off single in the top of the second, but the runner was erased on a double play.
In the bottom of the third, Ariel Aracena-Sanchez led the inning off with a single back to the pitcher, then stole second and moved to third on a groundout with two outs. Kevin Zak drove him in with a single in to center field to put the Lakers up 2-0.
The bottom of the fourth inning led to another Laker run, as Brugnoni started the frame with a double in to right field that the outfielder dove for but missed. After he moved to third on a groundout, Brugnoni came in to score on a bloop single over the third baseman's head by Aaron Overbeck as GVSU led 3-0.
Meanwhile, Kelly kept rolling, meeting trouble only in the top of the sixth, where a hit by pitch and single with two outs put a runner on second for the only time in the game.
Kelly induced 18 ground ball outs on the day as he continues his dominance over Wayne State. In three starts in his career now, Kelly has thrown 26 of a possible 27 innings, allowed 14 hits and only three runs for a 1.04 ERA with 12 strikeouts and three walks.
His final line on Saturday was nine innings, four hits, no walks and four strikeouts, with 73 of his 105 pitches going for strikes.
Offensively, the team was led by Brugnoni, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, with his both hits being doubles, giving him six on the season. Zak and Overbeck each had one hit and one RBI. Taylor Banks reached base all three times he was up, drawing three of GVSU's four walks on the day.
Wayne State, who came in to the three-game series with the best record in the GLIAC, was held to nine hits in the series (9-for-76, .118 BA) with one run scored by the Laker pitching staff.
