April 11, 2014
Box Score - Game One (W, 6-2) | Box Score - Game Two (W, 8-2)
Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State used timely hitting and two more strong pitching performances to take down #14 Wayne State in a GLIAC doubleheader sweep on Friday (Apr. 11) in Allendale. The Lakers scored four times in the bottom of the fifth inning to win game one, 6-2, and used a five-run fifth to earn an 8-2 win in the nightcap.
The two victories extend GVSU's win streak to seven games in a row, as the Lakers improve to 18-5 on the season and 7-1 in GLIAC play. Grand Valley State has outscored its opponents by a 44-5 margin during the winning streak. Nationally-ranked Wayne State falls to 25-9 overall and 5-5 in league action.
With four of the better pitchers in the league, Friday's twinbill looked as if it would feature a couple of pitchers' duels. The Laker hurlers definitely showed up, as sophomore Sara Andrasik and junior Lauren Gevaart combined to allow just four runs on 13 hits in 14 innings. GVSU's offense came alive, hitting .345 in the doubleheader and totaled five extra-base hits, while the Warriors managed just a lone double.
Freshman Jenna Lenza put the Lakers on the board early in game one, reaching on an infield single in the bottom of the first. She was bunted to second base and came around to score on an RBI single from senior Miranda Cleary. WSU tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning with a run-scoring single of its own.
In the Laker fourth, senior Briauna Taylor led off with a single to centerfield. Three batters later, Taylor was brought home on a sharp single up the middle from sophomore McKenze Supernaw to give GVSU a 2-1 advantage. Again, Wayne State scored in its next at-bat, using a wild pitch to push across the tying run.
It was 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Grand Valley State took control. The Lakers loaded the bases on a pair of singles from sophomore Chelsea Horvath and Lenza, followed by a walk from freshman Kelsey Dominguez. Briauna Taylor then ripped a shot into the gap in right centerfield, which scored all three Lakers as Taylor cruised into third base with the three-run triple. It was the 14th three-bagger of Taylor's career, moving her into a tie for fifth-most in GVSU history.
A hard single to left field from senior Tonya Calkins brought Taylor in from third base and upped the advantage to 6-2. Andrasik allowed just a two-out walk in the sixth inning and kept Wayne State off the board in the seventh to finish out the victory.
The reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year, Andrasik was strong. She tallied just two strikeouts, but received 15 groundball outs while moving to 8-3 on the season. Andrasik gave up two runs (one earned) and five hits, while walking three in the complete game win.
Briauna Taylor was 2-for-2, scored twice, and drove in three runs, while Lenza was 2-for-4 and also crossed home plate twice. Horvath went 2-for-3, as seven Laker starters recorded at least one hit.
In game two, Cleary put GVSU on the board with a towering home run to centerfield, a solo shot that led off the second inning. The Lakers upped the lead to 3-0 in the third inning, scoring a pair of runs after the first two batters were retired.
Similar to the first game, the Warriors answered right back in their next at-bat with two runs on a single from right fielder Lyndsay Butler, the game one pitcher for WSU.
It was still 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning when the Lakers again loaded the bases with nobody out. Wayne State pitcher Briana Lee, 12-1 entering the game, then walked in a pair of runs on consecutive bases loaded walks to Supernaw and freshman catcher Marianne Deppe.
With two outs and the bases still juiced, senior Brittany Taylor followed in her twin sister's footsteps from game one, drilling a three-run double high off the fence in left center, missing a grand slam by just a few feet. The bases-clearing double pushed the Laker lead to 8-2. GVSU scored five runs in the fifth inning of game one and another four runs in the fifth frame of game two, with both of the Taylor sisters' three-run hits coming in the fifth innings.
That was more than enough support for Gevaart, who improved to 7-0 on the year. She scattered eight hits and gave up just two runs, while not walking a batter and striking out four. Gevaart was the complete opposite of Andrasik in game one, as Gevaart recorded 15 flyball outs, compared to the 15 groundball outs in the opener for Andrasik.
Briauna Taylor led the way in game two with a 3-for-4 effort, notching a pair of doubles and a stolen base. Brittany Taylor delivered the clutch three-run double for her first two-bagger of the year. Dominguez was 2-for-3 and scored twice. 10 different Lakers recorded at least one hit in the sweep.
Grand Valley State is back in action on Saturday, when the Lakers host Malone in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.
