Lakeland, Fla. -- Although the final score did not reflect it, the Grand Valley State baseball team had its fair share of opportunities to earn a win at Florida Southern. The No. 16 Lakers racked up 12 hits—their fifth 10-plus-hit game this season—but left 12 runners on base in a 12-6 loss at Henley Field.
 
GVSU left the bases loaded on two different occasions. The first occurrence came in the opening frame, as the Lakers rattled off back-to-back two-out singles and a walk. Senior infielder Aaron Overbeck squared up a fastball, though his line drive was hit right to the third baseman, allowing the Moccasins to escape unharmed.
 
Nothing came easy for junior starting pitcher Patrick Kelly either. Florida Southern, which entered the day hitting .332 as a team, collected 15 hits, with 11 coming against Kelly.
 
And the Moccasins made their presence known right away. The first inning was a battle for Kelly, as they tallied three hits and plated a pair of runs to take an early lead. However, the Brookfield, Illinois native battled back, sitting down the next nine batters he faced and holding Florida Southern to just one hit over the subsequent three frames.
 
With Kelly on cruise control, the Lakers tied the game in top half of the third.
 
A leadoff walk by senior second baseman Jesse Abel got the inning going. Redshirt senior shortstop Kevin Zak followed it up with his second single of the day, and senior outfielder Jamie Potts loaded the bases with a hit by pitch. Three pitches later, junior first baseman Josh Griffith roped a two-RBI double into left field, scoring Zak and Abel. The Lakers could have added to their total, but a pair of plays at the plate resulted in outs, and a fly ball to center ended the threat.
 
Potts' solid day—he notched two hits in four official at bats—continued in the fifth inning, when he gave the Lakers their first lead. The two-time NCBWA All-Midwest Region honoree blasted a solo shot to right center, making it 3-2. It was Potts' first homer since April 18, 2014, and the sixth of his career.
 
Two hits in the sixth brought another GVSU run in.
 
Junior catcher John McLaughlin led things off with a single, eventually moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Mitchell Kozlowski. McLaughlin came around to score on senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski's single up the middle.
 
But the Moccasins would level the score in the bottom half. An RBI groundout plated the first, while a double to left field brought in the second. Had it not been for a terrific outfield relay, Florida Southern would have regained the lead on the very same hit. Dead-on throws by Kozlowski and Zak cut down the runner, attempting to score from first, at the plate.
 
After GVSU left the bases loaded in the seventh, the Moccasins broke things open with a four-hit, four-run frame in the bottom half. They posted a second consecutive 4-spot in the eighth to put the Lakers away.
 
Freshman catcher Connor Glick's two-out, two-RBI double in the ninth inning gave GVSU its final runs of the day.
 
Griffith finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a walk. An RBI, a run and a walk bolstered Potts' stat line as well. In his first career start as a left fielder, Kozlowski went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. Zak's run in the third was his 12^th of the season, a figure that leads all Lakers through nine games.
 
GVSU will close out its weeklong stint in the Sunshine State tomorrow afternoon against Wayne State (Neb.) at Lake Myrtle Park. The first pitch in Auburndale, Florida is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.

Notes:
-Kevin Zak and Jamie Potts both recorded their fifth multi-hit games of the season, which leads the team
-Josh Griffith's multi-hit outing was his fourth of the year; he also tallied his third multi-RBI game, a total that ranks second on the team
-Potts extended his hitting and on-base streaks to 13 and 26 games, respectively
-Griffith is also riding eight-game hitting and on-base streaks
-Griffith's two-RBI double also tied him with Zak for the team lead in RBIs (10)
-Potts' home run was his sixth extra-base hit this season, tying him with Zak for the most of any Laker thus far; he is also the only GVSU player with a double, triple and a homer
-Mitchell Kozlowski's multi-hit game was the fifth of his career
-Connor Glick's two-run double in the ninth inning netted him the first multi-RBI game of his collegiate career
-The Lakers tallied five two-out hits, bringing their season total to 29
-Today was the third time in the last four games GVSU recorded four leadoff hits
-Of Kevin Zak's team-high 16 hits, all but four have come in the last six games (2.0 per game)
-GVSU falls to 0-5 all-time against Florida Southern