Hillsdale, Mich. - The Grand Valley State softball team used a tremendous offensive outburst to earn a road split at Hillsdale on Friday afternoon (Apr. 25). Hillsdale was victorious by a 3-1 score in the opener before GVSU tallied 19 hits and used a walk-off three-run home run from senior Miranda Cleary to win the nightcap, 12-10.
With the split, the Lakers are now 24-9 overall and 13-5 in GLIAC play. Grand Valley State is in a logjam near the top of the conference standings, as four league teams (Ohio Dominican, Northwood, and Wayne State are the others) currently have five losses. Saginaw Valley State's 17-3 record has the Cardinals in first place. Hillsdale drops to 19-17 on the year and 11-13 in league action.
The Chargers got a strong pitching performance in game one from Sarah Grunert, while Laker starter Sara Andrasik also pitched well. Hillsdale scored the game's first run on an RBI double in the second inning before GVSU tied the score in its next at-bat. With two outs, freshman Kelsey Dominguez singled to right field. After a walk to senior Briauna Taylor, Cleary delivered an opposite field single to plate Dominguez and make the score 1-1.
Hillsdale would get that run right back in the bottom of the third without the benefit of a hit. A walk, groundout, wild pitch, and groundout scored the go-ahead run. The Chargers added an insurance run in the fifth inning to lead 3-1. That was enough for Grunert (8-6), who tossed a complete-game seven-hitter. She walked two and struck out three.
Andrasik (10-6) allowed three runs on eight hits in six inning, walking four batters and recording three strikeouts. Dominguez and freshman designated player Ellie Balbach each recorded two hits for the Lakers.
Game two was far from a pitcher's duel. GVSU was up 2-1 after the first inning on a run-scoring single from senior Tonya Calkins and an RBI double from sophomore McKenze Supernaw.
The score was 3-2 in Hillsdale's favor in the bottom of the fourth inning when the Lakers plated seven runs on eight hits. Briauna Taylor, Cleary, freshman Marianne Deppe, and Brittany Taylor all tallied RBI singles, but Supernaw again came through with a clutch two-run double. After the inning, GVSU was on top 9-3.
Hillsdale began to chip away at the deficit, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth inning and pulling within a 9-8 score after a three-run homer in the sixth frame. The Chargers then added two more runs in the top of the seventh to re-gain a 10-9 advantage before the Lakers' final at-bat.
Down a run, Dominguez reached on an error and moved up on a Briauna Taylor single. That set the stage for Cleary's walk-off homer, a three-run blast to end the ballgame. It was the ninth home run this season for Cleary and the 46th of her career, tying her with GVSU Hall of Famer Kim Biskup for second-most in Laker history.
Cleary, Supernaw, freshman Jenna Lenza, and both Taylor sisters all recorded three hits in the Lakers' 19-hit outing. Cleary knocked in four RBI, while Supernaw collected three ribbies. All three of Supernaw's hits were two-baggers, as she now leads the team with nine doubles.
Junior Sarah Wyse picked up the win in relief, getting the final two outs of the seventh inning to move to 2-0. Starting pitcher Lauren Gevaart allowed three runs on seven hits in four innings in the circle. The last time Grand Valley State won a game in which it gave up at least 10 runs was on April 7, 2011 when the Lakers defeated Northwood by a 13-10 final.
GVSU's long weekend continues. After five Laker seniors graduate on Saturday morning, the team will travel to Ohio to take on Findlay in a rare night doubleheader. Game one is set for a 7:00 p.m. start against the Oilers.
