Nasvhille, Tenn. -- Rain showers hung over Jackson Field at Trevecca Nazarene University for nearly all of the Grand Valley State baseball team's doubleheader with Alderson Broaddus. Despite the dreary weather, the No. 21 Lakers easily took Saturday's (March 14) first game, topping the Battlers 11-3. But the Battlers fought back, notching three runs against the GVSU bullpen to steal a 6-5 victory in game two.
 
Senior third baseman Aaron Overbeck's career game highlighted the opener. The Mason City, Iowa native amassed a career-best five RBIs, with three coming from a third-inning home run, his first of the season and fifth as a Laker. A two-out, two-run single in the sixth put Overbeck over is previous career high of four RBIs—which he set last season at Saginaw Valley State (April 17, 2014). His three runs marked a new career high, too.
 
But it was a wild pitch that put the Lakers on the board in the first inning.
 
A leadoff bunt single by senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski got everything rolling. From there, a hit by pitch put redshirt senior designated hitter Jesse Abel on base, and redshirt senior second baseman Kevin Zak drew a five-pitch walk to load the bags with Lakers. Nadratowski scored easily on the wild pitch, which was the first ball thrown in senior outfielder Jamie Potts' at bat.
 
GVSU kept the pressure on, courtesy of a walk by Potts, loading the bases again. Junior first baseman Josh Griffith drove a 3-2 pitch into right field, allowing Abel to score effortlessly.
 
Alderson Broaddus managed to plate runs in the second and third innings, but it could not solve senior starting pitcher Aaron Jensen on any other occasion. Overbeck's shot over the tall left field wall quickly broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third.
 
After Jensen cruised through the fourth, the Lakers padded their lead. Freshman shortstop Josh Smith lined a leadoff double into left center. Sitting on a full count in the very next at bat, Nadratowski sent a grounder to third, one that resulted in a throwing error and brought Smith across, making it 6-2.
 
The Lakers went right back to work in the fifth.
 
Overbeck's second hit of the day—a one-out single up the middle—coupled with another wild pitch put him in scoring position for junior left fielder Jason Ribecky. The Muskegon Community College transfer, who entered the day with just one hit and two RBIs, chopped a single up the middle, scoring Overbeck. Yet another Battlers throwing error and wild pitch eventually allowed Ribecky to touch home as well.
 
Following Overbeck's fourth and fifth RBIs in the sixth inning, Ribecky brought him around with a double off the wall in right center for the club's final run of the game.
 
Jensen went five innings, surrendering just two runs and five hits, and fanned six batters to improve to 2-0 on the year. Redshirt freshman Tyler Lozen and junior Zach Anderson combined to pitch the final two innings and wrapped up the victory.
 
Griffith, Ribecky and Overbeck each ended the first game 2-for-3 at the dish. It marked Griffith's fifth multi-hit game of the season, while Ribecky recorded his first multi-hit and multi-RBI outing as a Laker. The trio also combined for six runs.

Game two lacked the offensive explosiveness of its counterpart, but it rewarded the crowd with plenty of drama.
 
All the early action came in the third inning, when the teams combined for five runs.
 
Senior outfielder Mitchell Kozlowski led off the top half of the frame with a walk. Zak's single, one of three he had in the game, set up a sacrifice bunt opportunity for Potts. A slow-rolling bunt down the third base line led to a wild throw to first, enabling Kozlowski and Zak to score uncontested. With Potts standing on third, Griffith sent a grounder to first, driving him in without a throw.
 
The Battlers answered immediately. They tallied four of their seven hits against redshirt junior starting pitcher Patrick Kelly in the bottom half of the third, scoring two runs and making it a 3-2 game.
 
GVSU pushed its lead back to three runs with a two-spot in the sixth. Overbeck smacked a double down the left field line to lead off the frame. A flyout to left by junior designated hitter Taylor Huebner moved him to third with one out. Junior catcher John McLaughlin's two-out walk kept the inning alive for Nadratowski. One pitch after McLaughlin stole second base, Nadratowski shot a single up the middle, scoring both runners.
 
A Battler run in the bottom half set up a climactic seventh inning. Unfortunately, it did not go the Lakers' way.
 
Alderson Broaddus took advantage of two walks, two wild pitches and a hit by pitch, all of which set up a two-run walk-off single to left field. Sophomore closer Matt Williams took the loss, dropping him to 2-2 on the year, while Anderson yielded the game-winning hit.

Zak finished 3-for-4 with a run, and Nadratowski went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs in the setback. It is the fourth three-hit game of the year for Zak.

The split drops the Lakers to 7-5 overall and brings their record against Midwest Region opponents to 5-2.

GVSU is scheduled to return to action next Saturday (March 21) in its GLIAC-opening series with Ohio Dominican. The two clubs will play a pair of doubleheaders, each consisting of a 7-inning and 9-inning game, on Saturday and Sunday (March 22) in Columbus, Ohio. Saturday's contests will begin at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday's will start at 12 p.m. ET.