April 9, 2014
Game One Box Score (4-0 W)
Game Two Box Score (13-1 W)
Photo Gallery 
ALLENDALE, Mich. - In the first games played at the Laker Baseball Field in 2014, the 15th-ranked Grand Valley State baseball team sure played like it was a comfortable spot to be, dominating GLIAC rival Saginaw Valley State in a 4-0, 13-1 doubleheader sweep of the Cardinals on Wednesday (Apr. 9).
The sweep moves the Lakers to 21-7 overall with a 12-2 mark in the GLIAC, while Saginaw Valley State falls to 6-18 overall with a 3-11 record in the conference.
The Lakers will hit the road for their next seven games, beginning with a three-game series this weekend at Walsh that begins on Saturday (Apr. 12) at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader.
GVSU was forced to move the first 11 "home" games of the year to alternate sites due to weather, but the first baseball day of the season in Allendale proved to be a popular one, as 607 fans showed up for each game of the doubleheader, a mark that is 173% of the official capacity of the Laker Baseball Field, and they were treated to a spectacular performance in all facets of the game by the Laker baseball team.
In game one, the Lakers threatened right from the start, putting two runners in scoring position with one out and loading the bases with two out in the bottom of the first, but were unable to break through.
Instead, GVSU got the scoring started in the bottom of the third, beginning with a bunt single by Mike Nadratowski down the third-base line. After stealing second, Jamie Potts laced a single in to the right field gap that allowed Nadratowski to score, and Potts moved to second after the ball was bobbled in the outfield. That mistake proved to be costly, as Kevin Zak followed with a bloop single down the right field line that scored Potts and pushed the lead to 2-0.
The Cardinals nearly got at leats one back in the top of the fourth, getting a two-out walk before a double was hit in to the right field gap. Niko Gonzalez, who was on first, attempted to score on the play, but a spectacular relay from Potts to Zak to catcher Taylor Banks cut down the run at home to keep it a 2-0 game.
GVSU nearly broke things open in the bottom of the fourth, getting a lead-off triple from Banks before Stuart Eisler walked and Ariel Aracena-Sanchez laid down a bunt single that loaded the bases. However, the Lakers were sat down in order after that, keeping it a 2-0 game.
The Lakers were able to break through again in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with a single by Giancarlo Brugnoni. After a fly out, Jesse Abel walked and a wild pitch moved both runners in to scoring position. Banks followed with a walk to load the bases and Eisler was able to bring another run home on a sacrifice fly to right-center field that made it a 3-0 game. Aracena-Sanchez followed with a chopper through the left side of the infield that scored Abel, pushing the lead to 4-0.
SVSU was hoping to stage a rally in the top of the seventh, getting a lead-off single and a one-out single before the Lakers went to the bullpen. After a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, closer Chris Ripple came in to the game and needed only three pitches to strike out the final hitter of the contest, leaving the bases full of Cardinals.
Russell Griffin (3-0) was the winner on the mound, allowing only five hits in 6.1 innings of shutout baseball with two strikeouts. Dalton Reust and Ripple each had a strikeout in their 0.1 innings of work, as Ripple collected his eighth save of the season.
Four Lakers had two hits in the game, as Potts, Zak and Aracena-Sanchez each had a pair of hits and an RBI. Brugnoni went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.
In game two, the GVSU offense took to the spotlight, racking up 16 hits in the contest.
After both teams went down in order in the first inning, the Cardinals put two on with two out in the top of the second, but a ground ball induced by Sean Clancy got the Lakers out of the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, Brugnoni led off with a single up the middle that was knocked down on the backhand by the second baseman who couldn't complete the play. With one out, Abel hit a ground ball to short and after a toss to second got the lead runner, the throw on the turn flew in to the Cardinal dugout, moving Abel to second, a costly error as Eisler followed with an RBI double in to the right field gap that made it a 1-0 game.
SVSU responded in the next half-inning, getting consecutive two-out doubles to tie the game up at one. After a third straight single was hit in to right field, the Cardinals decided to test the arms of the Laker defense once again, and once again they came up short. A perfect Potts relay to Brugnoni was turned to Patrick Bobolts at home for the out to retire the lead runner and end the inning.
The Lakers seemed to carry that momentum in to the bottom of the third, where GVSU collected four runs on four hits to push the game out of reach. Joel Schipper singled to lead off the inning and a hit by pitch put two runners on. With two outs in the inning, Brugnoni singled in to center field to score Schipper and moved to second on the throw to third base. With two runners in scoring position, Aaron Overbeck crushed a double up the right field gap to make it a 4-1 game. He then came in to score as Abel hit an RBI single just over the shortstop's head to make it a 5-1 contest.
GVSU did nearly one better in every category in the bottom of the fourth, getting five runs on five hits and one costly Cardinal error to put the game even more out of reach. The inning was highlighted by a two-RBI double from Brugnoni. The Lakers led 10-1 after four innings of play.
The final three runs of the contest came in the bottom of the sixth, when Bobolts, Nadratowski and Potts all collected RBI singles to make it a 13-1 game.
Clancy (4-0) remained undefeated on the year, allowing only four hits and one run in six innings of work. Chris Ward threw a hitless seventh inning with two strikeouts to finish the game.
Brugnoni went 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI in the game, including his eighth double of the season. Overbeck finished 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI, including his third double of the year, while Potts went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Abel was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Nadratowski drove in two, while Eisler and Bobolts had one RBI each.
GVSU has now won eight of its last nine home-opening games and is 25-4 in home openers since 1985. On the days of the home openers (most home-opening days are doubleheaders), the Lakers are 44-7 since 1985.
