Allendale, Mich. – Comeback wins have been tough to come by for the Grand Valley State baseball team, but by erasing a five-run deficit in game one, it had enough momentum to outlast Findlay in the nightcap and sweep the doubleheader. The No. 16 Lakers' pair of victories, along with two Northwood losses, lifted them into first place in the GLIAC North Division.
 
Prior to Saturday (April 18) afternoon GVSU was 2-10 when trailing after six innings. Facing that very situation against the Oilers, senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski delivered a two-out, two RBI single in the seventh inning, sending the opener to extras, where junior catcher John McLaughlin drove in the winning run of a 7-6 triumph.
 
A sloppy first inning put GVSU in a 3-0 hole right from the get go. Senior third baseman Aaron Overbeck helped the Lakers get one back with a two-out RBI single in the bottom half.
 
Findlay continued to take advantage of GVSU's mishaps, plating a run in the second and two more in the third.
 
But the Lakers battled back with a three-spot in their half of the third. With senior outfielder Jamie Potts on first base via fielder's choice, Overbeck smacked another single up the middle. Four pitches and one swing later, junior outfielder Jason Ribecky smashed a three-run homer to make it 6-4.
 
Starting pitcher Patrick Kelly cruised through the next three innings, yielding just three hits and keeping the Lakers within striking distance, which set up the rally in the seventh.
 
Overbeck delivered his fourth single of the game to lead off GVSU's last call. Following a strikeout, McLaughlin shot a single up the middle, and sophomore Matt Williams loaded the bases with an infield single. Another strikeout left all of the club's hopes on the shoulders of Nadratowski. Facing a full count, Nadratowski smacked a single into left, plating a pair of runs to tie the game.
 
Back on the mound for extra innings, Kelly retired the Oilers in order.
 
A single by Zak, who took an extra base on an error in left field, started the Laker eighth. Potts moved him over to third with a sacrifice bunt. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for McLaughlin. On a 2-1 pitch, the New Lenox, Illinois native lifted a long fly ball into right field, bringing the game-winning run across.
 
Kelly collected the win to move to 5-1 on the year, and turned in his third consecutive complete game, becoming the first Laker since Anthony Campanella (2013) to accomplish that feat. Only two of the six runs the three-time GLIAC North Pitcher of the Week surrendered were earned.
 
At the plate, Overbeck went 4-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Zak finished 3-for-4 with two runs. Williams and McLaughlin also collected two hits apiece.
 
GVSU picked up right where it left off at the end of the opener to nab a 4-2 victory and complete the sweep.
 
Nadratowski walked and senior designated hitter Jesse Abel started the nightcap with a walk and a soft single to center. After the two moved into scoring position via sacrifice bunt, Potts plated a run on a groundout to second. A double by Overbeck scored Abel.
 
Findlay would answer with a run in the second, and neither team would score again until the fifth inning.
 
With runners on first and second, freshman shortstop Josh Smith roped a two-out, two-RBI double down the left field line to increase the lead.
 
The Oilers got one back in the seventh, but Williams finished off the four-out save, his seventh of the season, by gunning down a runner at first. Senior starter Aaron Jensen improved to 5-2 by limiting Findlay to five hits and a run in four innings of work. Fellow senior Kevin Hallberg tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to help Jensen earn the win on senior day.
 
Nadratowski posted a 2-for-2 performance at the plate to lead the Laker offense. Potts turned in a multi-hit outing as well, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.
 
Taking the final three games from the Oilers brought GVSU's overall record to 24-13 and its GLIAC mark to 16-8. The Lakers are now 11-5 in divisional play. The club will head to Hillsdale next weekend for a pair of divisional doubleheaders at Hillsdale. First pitch on Saturday (April 25) is slated for 1 p.m. EDT, while Sunday's twinbill is set for 12 p.m. EDT.

Notes:
-GVSU's win in game one was the 100th career victory for third-year head coach Jamie Detillion
-Patrick Kelly now boasts the ninth-most innings pitched (182 2/3) in program history
-By starting both games, Kevin Zak tied Giancarlo Brugnoni for the most starts in school history (204)
-After breaking the school record for career at bats in game one, Zak collected the GLIAC record with his second official at bat of game two
-Zak's 282 hits now the second-most in GLIAC and GVSU history
-Mike Nadratowski scored the 171st run of his career in game two, surpassing Cody Grice ('11) for the third-most by a Laker
-With a pair of stolen bases in game two, Nadratowski passed Gannon's Clint Page ('00) for the eighth-most swipes (70) in GLIAC history
-Jamie Potts moved into a tie for 10th in program history with his 160th and 161st career starts
-Potts also moved to 10th in total bases with his first single in game two, the 297th of his career
-Aaron Overbeck's 5-for-6 day brought his series batting average to .692 (9-for-13)
-John McLaughlin recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game