Allendale, Mich. – Tim Tarter's first win as a member of the Grand Valley State baseball team has been a long time coming. After a year off recovering from Tommy John surgery, a no decision in his first start and a loss in the second, Tarter gave up just three hits and one run in 5.1 innings of work, leading the No. 18 Lakers to a 5-1 victory over Saginaw Valley State and earning his first collegiate victory in nearly two years.
 
As Tarter provided smooth sailing for GVSU in the first three innings, the offense gave him the necessary run support to settle in.
 
In the first, a walk by senior Jesse Abel—one of the three he drew on Tuesday (March 31)—and a hard single to right field from senior infielder Kevin Zak led to a one-out RBI single for senior outfielder Jamie Potts. The Lakers were primed to add to their lead, until a sharp liner right at SVSU's second baseman turned into a double play, ending the threat.
 
But GVSU went right back to work in the second.
 
Junior designated hitter John McLaughlin reached on a throwing error, stole second, and advanced to third on a single up the middle by freshman catcher Connor Glick. A safety squeeze bunt by senior Mitchell Kozlowski plated the Lakers' second run of the day.
 
Tarter got into a two-out, two-runner jam in the fourth, but escaped unharmed with a fly out to right. He would not be so lucky in the fifth, as the Cardinals brought a run across on an RBI ground out. Still, Tarter remained composed, putting out two of the next three batters to limit the damage.
 
Thanks to insurance runs in the sixth and seventh, Tarter managed to breathe a little easier as he awaited a decision in the dugout.
 
Singles by Ribecky and Glick set Kozlowski up with a two-out RBI chance. The Madison Heights, Michigan native capitalized on the opportunity, lacing a single up the middle and bringing Ribecky home. The following inning, another Abel walk and Zak's bunt single, which led to a throwing error, would create a run. Abel, who advanced to third on the error, came across on a passed ball.
 
For good measure, Nadratowski made it 5-1 in the eighth with an RBI single through the right side.
 
Senior reliever Kevin Hallberg and sophomore closer Matt Williams combined for the final 3.2 innings, yielding just two hits and a walk during that stretch. Williams tallied a career-high four strikeouts to earn a six-out save, his fourth of the season.
 
Zak and Potts both went 2-for-4 at the dish, recording their 12^th and ninth multi-hit games, respectively. Glick notched his third collegiate multi-hit outing with a 2-for-3 performance. Abel finished 1-for-2 with three walks, matching his career high, and two runs.
 
GVSU, now 13-8 overall and 5-3 in GLIAC play, will head to Detroit for a two-day, four-game series with Wayne State. Friday's (April 3) and Saturday's (April 4) doubleheaders will begin at 12 p.m. EDT.

Notes:
-With his fifth, and final, at bat of the day, Mike Nadratowski tied Giancarlo Brugnoni for the sixth-most career at bats (669) in school history
-Mitchell Kozlowski drove in a pair of runs, scoring the second multi-RBI game of his collegiate career
-Jesse Abel's three walks were the most by a Laker batter since Brugnoni drew three against Lake Erie in the opening game of the NCAA Midwest Regional on May 15, 2014
-Tim Tarter's 5.1 innings pitched marked his longest outing as a Laker
-GVSU finished with 10 hits, which is the 11th time this season it has tallied at least that many in a game
-The Lakers limited Saginaw Valley State to just two runs in the final 28 innings of the four-game series