Allendale, Mich. – Much like the weather in the state of Michigan, the Grand Valley State baseball team is still looking for its consistency. The No. 18 Lakers split a doubleheader with Saginaw Valley State, dropping the first game 5-1 and winning the second contest 5-0 on a frigid day in Allendale.
 
"It's bittersweet. It's disappointing to lose the first game, but it's always nice to bounce back and win the second game," said head coach Jamie Detillion. "We were flat the first game, for whatever reason. We were outhit, outpitched and outplayed defensively. The second game, we rebounded. Pat (Kelly) kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win."
 
Much like last weekend, GVSU struggled to solve its opponent's ace pitcher, as it managed just six hits in game one.
 
Senior starting pitcher Aaron Jensen worked himself out of jams in the second and third innings, but could not get out of trouble in the fourth. The Cardinals plated runs in five consecutive at bats, hanging a five-spot on the scoreboard. All five runs were charged to Jensen.
 
GVSU put a runner in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings, eventually stranding both. Redshirt senior infielder Kevin Zak drove in GVSU's only run of the opener on a groundout to third. Redshirt sophomore Kevin Carroll, who came through with a pinch-hit single to lead off the inning, came across for the Lakers.
 
The only GVSU hitter to record a multi-hit game in the first session was senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski. The Canton, Michigan native went 2-for-3 at the dish. Senior infielder Mitchell Kozlowski notched the club's only extra-base hit with a pinch-hit double in the fourth, while senior infielder Jesse Abel and freshman catcher Connor Glick both went 1-for-3.
 
But the Lakers, bolstered by a second consecutive scoreless outing from redshirt junior Patrick Kelly, bounced back with a strong effort in game two.
 
"I just tried to stay calm and focused," said Kelly. "After the first game, everyone was a little on edge. I just wanted to come out and reassure our team that we were the better team."
 
And the GVSU offense made sure to give him a couple of early runs. Following a one-out walk by Abel and a double to right from Zak, senior outfielder Jamie Potts extended his on-base streak to 36 games with an infield single. With Abel coming home, Potts' shot up the middle hit off of Cardinal pitcher Michael Ellenbest, which led to a bobbled ball and a flustered, errant throw home. As the ball made it to the backstop, Abel and Zak crossed the plate, giving Kelly a two-run cushion to work with.
 
With a confident and comfortable Kelly setting down Saginaw Valley State hitters without much resistance—he retired 10 in a row from the end of the second through the fifth—the Lakers added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth and fifth.
 
After junior catcher John McLaughlin sent a leadoff single through the left side, and advanced to second on a past ball, Glick moved him to third with a deep fly to right field. Next, senior third baseman Aaron Overbeck reached via hit by pitch, setting up a safety squeeze opportunity for sophomore outfielder Joel Schipper. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native dropped down a solid bunt, bringing McLaughlin home on the sacrifice.
 
In the fifth, Potts and Carroll drew back-to-back walks to keep the frame alive for McLaughlin. The Kankakee Community College transfer did not waste his chance, as he laced a double into left center, scoring both runners.
 
Although the Cardinals put runners at the corners in the sixth, and loaded the bases in the seventh, Kelly remained composed. Groundouts allowed him to escape from both jams.
 
"Even with (first and third), or the bases loaded, I just tried to stay focused, approach the hitter the same way I would if there was no one on, and let my defense work," said Kelly. "I know my defense is going to make the plays."
 
Redshirt freshman Tyler Lozen inherited a pair of runners from Kelly when he came out of the bullpen with two outs in the eighth. A swinging strikeout slammed the door on the Saginaw Valley State rally. Sophomore closer Matt Williams fanned the final two Cardinals to seal the club's second shutout of the season.
 
A notorious groundout pitcher, Kelly flashed plenty of strikeout ability on Saturday (March 28). The reigning GLIAC North Pitcher of the Week fanned six batters, one more than his season total entering his fifth start of the year, and tossed 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball to improve to 2-1.
 
"The curveball and off-speed was working pretty well today," said Kelly. "(I just) let people put the ball in play. That's when the strikeouts came along."

Potts and McLaughlin both went 2-for-3 with a walk at the dish. Zak and Abel had the only other Laker hits in game two.
 
GVSU's split brings its overall record to 11-8 and its GLIAC mark to 3-3. With another doubleheader slated for Sunday (March 29), Detillion wants to see the Lakers do something they have yet to this season.
 
"We just have to start playing better, top to bottom, and complete a day. That's one thing we haven't done really well yet: complete a day, and complete a weekend," said Detillion. "Hopefully we come out a little more prepared tomorrow."
 
First pitch for the second doubleheader of the series is slated for 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday.

Notes:
-Patrick Kelly is the first Laker since Anthony Campanella to throw at least seven shutout innings in back-to-back starts--Campanella tossed seven innings of scoreless ball in consecutive starts against Minnesota State (March 11) and California (Pa.) (March 17) during the 2013 season
-Kelly induced 11 groundouts in Saturday's start, bringing his career total to 250 and surpassing Grant Payton ('06) for the fifth-most in program history
-Kelly's six strikeouts, tied for the second-most he's ever recorded in a game, were his highest total since he fanned six batters at Florida Southern on March 5, 2014
-Kevin Zak's double in game two, the 39th of his career, moved him past Tony Pfennig ('03) and into a tie with Tim Smith ('89) for the sixth-most in school history
-Zak's run in the first inning of game two, the 164th of his career, usurped Pfennig for the fourth-most in Laker history
-John McLaughlin's two RBIs in game two netted him his first multi-RBI game as a Laker
-After his 2-for-3 performance in game two, Jamie Potts now has eight multi-hit games this season
-Mike Nadratowski's multi-hit outing in the first game was his fifth of the season
-Mitchell Kozlowski's double was the second of his career
-Game two was GVSU's first victory with six or fewer hits since it defeated Malone 4-3 back on May 3, 2014