In cold and blustery conditions on Thursday (Mar. 26) in Allendale, the Grand Valley State softball team split its home opening doubleheader with visiting Aquinas. The Lakers got off to a great start by recording a 9-0 mercy rule victory in the opener, but Aquinas rallied for a 5-4 victory in the nightcap to earn the split.

GVSU had not played for nearly three weeks; the Lakers last took the field on Mar. 7 in Clermont, Fla. The sun and warmth of the Spring Break trip were a thing of the past, as the temperature at first pitch of Thursday's opening game was an even 40 degrees.

With the split, the Lakers are 14-5 on the year. Aquinas, which was riding a four-game winning streak entering the doubleheader, is now 13-9. Grand Valley State heads to Ohio this weekend for the beginning of GLIAC play against Malone (Saturday) and Walsh (Sunday).

The Lakers totaled 11 base hits in both games, but GVSU was able to put more of those hits together in the opening game. In both the third and fifth innings, the Lakers scored four runs with a few clutch extra base hits in both stanzas. Junior Chelsea Horvath and freshman Kaylie Rhynard each went 3-for-3 in the opening victory.

Sophomore Jenna Lenza drilled a pair of solo homers to left field in game two, but GVSU left nine runners on base and was unable to overcome a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning that would be the eventual winning runs for the Saints.

Game one was scoreless until the third inning, when Grand Valley State opened a 4-0 advantage. Rhynard put down a perfect bunt single and came all the way around to score on an RBI double from Horvath for the game's first tally. Three batters later, Lenza singled back up the middle to drive in Horvath and freshman Teagan Shomin, who reached on a hit by pitch. Shomin's hit by pitch was her seventh of the season, which already ties the school single-season record, held by three different players.

Another RBI double - this time by freshman Heather Sperlazzo - made the score 4-0, GVSU. Shomin delivered an RBI single in her next at-bat in the fourth inning, which scored Rhynard, who again reached base on a bunt single. 

With the lead at 5-0, the Lakers put the game away in the fifth inning. Rhynard singled for the third time - down the right field line this at-bat - to score Lenza, who opened the frame with a single. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, Horvath crushed a double over the center fielder's head, which brought home all three runners and ended the game via the eight-run mercy rule.

The recipient of all the offense was junior righty Sara Andrasik. She allowed just three base hits in the five-inning victory to improve to 4-2 on the season. Andrasik did walk four batters in the windy conditions, but was able to strike out six Saints in the win.

Horvath's four RBI are a career-high, as she now owns the team lead with 16 ribbies. She connected for a pair of doubles in her 3-for-3 outing. Also with three hits, Rhynard crossed home plate three times. Lenza went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI.

In game two, Aquinas used consecutive doubles from its first two hitters to take a 1-0 lead on Laker starter Courtney Reinhold. From there, the freshman settled in and retired the next six batters she faced. And in the bottom of the first, the Lakers provided some run support.

Shomin led off with a sharp single to right field and was able to advance to second base on a throwing error by the Aquinas outfielder. With two outs and Shomin pushed to third, Sperlazzo blooped a single to left center field, tying the score at 1-1. Junior McKenze Supernaw followed with a double to right center, easily scoring Sperlazzo for the 2-1 Laker advantage.

Aquinas was able to tie the score with a run in the third inning, but the lead would not last long. With one out in the home half of the third, Lenza sent a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left field for her first homer of the year. GVSU now led 3-2 on the Lenza blast.

That score would remain the same until the fifth inning, as the Saints loaded the bases with three walks. With two outs, Brooke Senkbeil hit a sharp double to right center field that cleared the bases. She was thrown out at third base trying to stretch the double into a triple, but the damage was done and Aquinas was now ahead, 5-3.

Lenza again responded, as she led off the bottom of the fifth with another roundtripper. The sophomore again homered to left field and it was again a solo blast, pulling the Lakers within a run at 5-4. Supernaw notched a one-out double, but would get stranded at second base.

Both teams had chances to score in the sixth and seventh innings, but Aquinas left the bases loaded in the sixth and GVSU left runner on second and third in the bottom of the sixth frame. Horvath tallied a two-out single in the seventh, but the Saints would close out the game to even the series.

Supernaw went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, while Lenza and Shomin each recorded multi-hit efforts. Lenza was 2-for-4 with the two solo homers. The last GVSU player to hit two home runs in the same game was Miranda Cleary, who connected for a pair of roundtrippers in a 13-3 win over Malone on Apr. 12, 2014. Shomin went 2-for-4 and scored a run. 

Reinhold dropped to 5-2 on the season, giving up five runs on six hits in five innings in the circle. She walked three batters and struck out three. Sophomore Ellie Balbach tossed the final two innings and allowed just one hit.