MIDLAND, Mich. - The Grand Valley State baseball team came from behind for a 7-4 victory over Northwood on Monday (Apr. 28) at Gerace Stadium in the final away game of the regular season for the Lakers. GVSU fell behind 4-0 early, but scored seven unanswered runs in the final four innings for the victory.
The win moves the Lakers to 28-11 overall on the year with a 19-6 record in the conference, while Northwood is now 16-24 overall with an 8-18 mark in the GLIAC. The same two teams will face off in a doubleheader on Wednesday (Apr. 30) at the GVSU Baseball Field at 2 p.m.
The Lakers had the tables turned on them in the early innings from what has been the norm most of the season, as Northwood was able to push two runs across in both the first and third innings to take an early 4-0 lead.
The potent GVSU offense, which failed to score in the first three innings of the game for the first time in five games, more than made up for it in the second half of the game. After being held off the scoreboard through the first five innings, the Lakers took advantage of a Jesse Abel RBI single and a dropped fly ball by the Northwood outfield that scored two more runs, cutting the Timberwolves lead to 4-3.
The Lakers took the lead in the top of the eighth off the bat of a familiar source, as Giancarlo Brugnoni deposited his 45th career home run over the wall in left field to bring in Kevin Zak, who was hit by a pitch. The two-run homer moves Brugnoni to within one of tying the GLIAC career record of Jamie Detillion.
GVSU got insurance runs in the top of the ninth starting with a lead-off triple from Stuart Eisler, who came in to score when Taylor Banks hit an RBI groundout to the shortstop to make it 6-4. After pinch-hitter Kevin Carroll walked on four straight pitches, pinch-runner Ariel Aracena-Sanchez then stole second and came in to score on an RBI single from Jamie Potts that made it a 7-4 game.
Chris Ripple, who came on in the eighth inning, was able to keep the door closed in the ninth, earning his 10th save of the year with two innings of shutout relief and two strikeouts.
Starter Sean Clancy (6-0) earned the victory on the mound, going seven innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts.
Brugnoni finished te day 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, including his 13th home run of the season. Six other Lakers had one hit each, including Potts and Abel both having a hit and an RBI. Zak was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and was hit by pitches twice.
