March 31, 2014
Box Score - Game One (W, 4-0) |
Box Score - Game Two (W, 11-0)
North Canton, Ohio - After earning a road split over Walsh on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 30), the Laker softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep of Lake Erie on Monday morning (Mar. 31). Grand Valley State tallied a 4-0 win in the opener before the offense erupted in game two for an 11-0 victory.
The pair of shutouts on Monday gives GVSU three consecutive blank sheets, including a 1-0 game two victory over Walsh on Sunday. In the last four games, the Laker pitchers have allowed just three runs. Against Lake Erie on Monday, sophomore Sara Andrasik and junior Lauren Gevaart combined to give up just six hits, two walks, and the duo fanned 12 Storm batters.
Grand Valley State improves to 14-5 on the season and 3-1 in league play, while Lake Erie drops to 3-13 overall and 0-4 in conference games. Due to an unplayable field at Lake Erie, the games were played on Walsh's campus - the same site as Sunday's doubleheader.
The Lakers were able to provide some early run support in game one for Andrasik. Senior Briauna Taylor led off the second inning with an infield single, stole second base, and moved to third on a wild pitch. She was promptly driven in on an RBI single from classmate Miranda Cleary for the game's first run.
Later in the frame, freshman Ali Vander Meer - pinch running for senior Tonya Calkins, who reached on a fielder's choice - scored on a two-out RBI single from centerfielder Brittany Taylor for a 2-0 GVSU lead.
Grand Valley State would extend the advantage in the sixth, as freshman Jenna Lenza notched a leadoff single. Lenza moved all the way to third base on a bunt single from Briauna Taylor, who then stole second to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Cleary drove in Lenza with a sacrifice fly and Calkins brought Briauna Taylor home on a run-scoring groundout.
Andrasik would cruise through the Storm lineup all morning long. The reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year allowed only a first-inning single in the complete game victory. She moved to 6-3 on the season with the one-hitter, striking out five LEC hitters. Andrasik allowed just three baserunners all game - on a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch. It was the third shutout of the year for Andrasik and already the 11th of her young career.
Lenza and Briauna Taylor each went 2-for-3, with Taylor scoring two runs and stealing two bases. Cleary drove in a pair of runs.
On Sunday against Walsh, Gevaart tossed a three-hitter and the Laker offense was able to provide just enough support in the 1-0 win. Monday's outing was a different matter, as the GVSU offense came around for its second-highest run total of the season.
In the second inning, the Lakers notched six runs on six hits, with Grand Valley State taking a 2-0 advantage on a two-run double from sophomore Chelsea Horvath. Lenza brought in Horvath with an RBI double of her own and then scored on a single from freshman Kelsey Dominguez.
The lead pushed out to 6-0 on a two-run homer to left field from Briauna Taylor. It is the seventh long ball of the year for Taylor and the 29th of her career, fourth-most in school history.
Five more runs came in the third inning, as sophomore Taylor Fris led off the stanza with a solo blast to left field. Dominguez (walk), Briauna Taylor (fielder's choice), Cleary (single), and Calkins (single) also drove in runs later in the frame to bring the lead to 11-0.
Gevaart was again strong, allowing six hits with only one runner reaching third base. She walked one and struck out seven LEC batters. The righthander improves to 5-0 in her first season with the Lakers.
Dominguez put forth a 3-for-3 effort with two RBI, while Calkins and Fris each recorded a pair of hits. Four Lakers scored two runs apiece - Dominguez, Briauna Taylor, Fris, and Horvath, while Taylor collected three RBI.
GVSU is back in action on Wednesday (Apr. 2), as the Lakers travel to Midland to face Northwood. The twinbill is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.
