March 8, 2014
Game One Box Score (5-2 W)
Game Two Box Score (7-6 L)
AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The seventh-ranked Grand Valley State baseball team split a pair of games with Seton Hill on Saturday (Mar. 8) afternoon, winning game one 5-2 before falling 7-6 in the nightcap.
The split moves the Lakers to 5-3 overall on the season, while Seton Hill moves to 4-4 overall. GVSU will play a doubleheader against Upper Iowa on Sunday (Mar. 9) at 1 p.m. at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.
In the opener, GVSU got started with a one-out double from Taylor Banks in the bottom of the second, who then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jamie Potts followed with a double to left field that was the result of the outfielder losing the ball in the sun, then came in to score on a two-out RBI single from Aaron Overbeck, who went to second on the throw. Ariel Aracena-Sanchez finished the run parade with an RBI single back up the middle of the field to stake the Lakers to a 3-0 lead early on.
In the top of the second, Seton Hill threatened, loading the bases with one out, but starting pitcher Aaron Jensen got two huge strikeouts, both looking, to end the inning.
GVSU used that momentum and extended the advantage in the bottom of the third with a one-out bomb from Giancarlo Brugnoni down the left field line that brought Kevin Zak in to score and make it a 5-0 game.
From there, it was up to the defense to keep the Lakers ahead and they did just that. Seton Hill scratched one run across in both the sixth and seventh innings, but it wasn't enough as GVSU took the game, 5-2.
Jensen (2-1) earned the victory in the game, allowing six hits with three strikeouts in five innings of work. Kevin Hallberg contributed 1.2 innings of relief, while Chris Ripple nailed down the save with the final out of the game.
Potts was 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, including his first double of the season. Banks went 2-for-2 with a run and a walk, including a double, while Brugnoni went 2-for-3 with one run and two RBI off his third home run of the season.
In the nightcap, the Lakers got up big early, pouring five runs across in the top of the first with three hits and help from three Seton Hill errors. Mike Nadratowski walked to start the game, then stole second and moved to third on an errant throw from the catcher. Jesse Abel followed with a single to second that was the result of a dropped pop-up that was lost in the sun, as Nadratowski had to stay planted at third. He came in to score, however, when a wild pitch allowed both runners to move up and give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. Zak followed with a single in to left field that was bobbled by the outfielder, allowing Zak to coast in to second and Abel to come in to score to make it a 2-0 game.
After a Brugnoni walk, a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position for Jamie Potts, who singled back up the middle to make it a 3-0 game. Stuart Eisler then laid down a sacrifice bunt that was misplayed by the pitcher, giving the Lakers a 4-0 lead with runners on first and second with nobody out. After a flyout moved Potts to third, the Lakers called a double steal and while the fielders were pre-occupied with Eisler between first and second, Potts came in to steal home, while Eisler slid back in safely to first, giving GVSU a 5-0 lead.
Seton Hill responded in the bottom of the first, getting a hit by pitch, passed ball and stolen base to put a man on third with nobody out. After a walk and another stolen base, the Lakers got a groundball to third that held the runners, then got an infield pop-up. GVSU couldn't escape without damage, however, as a single to right field cut the lead to 5-1 and a double steal of second and home made it a 5-2 game.
The Griffins got two more runs in the bottom of the second, all with two outs. A walk, wild pitch and an error led to the first run, while a single down the left field line brought the second run in to make it a 5-4 game.
The score held there until the top of the fifth, when Potts walked and then stole second before coming across to score on an RBI single from Overbeck to make it a 6-4 game.
Seton Hill stayed even with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth with a bases loaded hit by pitch to make it a 6-5 contest.
The Griffins pushed two runs across in the bottom of the sixth on a groundout and an RBI double to left field that put Seton Hill up 7-6.
The Lakers threatened in the top of the seventh, getting a lead-off single from Eisler and a two-out single from Banks, but a foul pop-up to third ended the game.
On the mound, Adam Poel contributed 3.1 innings of stellar relief, striking out two. Offensively, Abel was 2-for-2 with a run and two walks, while Potts, Eisler and Overbeck each had one hit and one RBI. Nadratowski and Abel each had one stolen base in the game, while Potts stole two bases.
