Detroit – Although the Grand Valley State baseball team settled for another bittersweet split in a conference doubleheader, there was nothing disappointing about redshirt junior Patrick Kelly's performance in the opener. For a third consecutive outing, Kelly did not give up a run, limiting Wayne State to three hits and earning his fourth career shutout. Following the 5-0 victory, the No. 18 Lakers fell 5-4 on a walk-off in the nightcap.
 
Kelly's current streak of scoreless outings is one of, if not the longest in school history. The Brookfield, Illinois native, now 3-1 this year, is the first Laker since at least 2000 to throw at least seven shutout innings in three consecutive games. Moreover, Kyle Schepel (2012) and Jeremy Dow (2005) are the only GVSU pitchers to hold opponents scoreless in three straight starts since the turn of the century.
 
The two-time reigning GLIAC North Division Pitcher of the Week struck out four batters and needed just 65 pitches to go the distance in the 7-inning affair.
 
And the Lakers went to work for Kelly right away, plating four runs in the first inning.
 
Senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski led off with a single to right. After a walk by senior second baseman Jesse Abel, senior outfielder Jamie Potts reached on a fielding error with one out. By putting the ball in play, Potts drove in Nadratowski, who advanced to third on redshirt senior shortstop Kevin Zak's fly out to right.
 
One pitch later, junior outfielder Jason Ribecky cleared the bases with a three-run home run, his second as a Laker.
 
A two-out rally in the second produced GVSU's other run. Nadratowski walked and Abel singled to right, keeping the inning alive for Zak, the GLIAC's top hitter. Despite a 0-2 count, Zak laced a double down the right field line, easily scoring Nadratowski.
 
The shutout was GVSU's third of the season. It also extended Kelly's scoreless innings streak to 24. Abel finished game one with a 2-for-3 line, while Nadratowski went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs; Ribecky was 1-for-3 with a walk.
 
Roles were reversed in game two, as Wayne State grabbed a two-run lead in the opening frame and led 3-0 through five innings.
 
The Lakers erased the deficit in the sixth. Potts smacked a leadoff double and redshirt sophomore first baseman Kevin Carroll singled to put runners at the corners. Sophomore utility player Matt Williams' second hit of the day, a single up the middle, brought Potts across. A walk by freshman catcher Connor Glick loaded the bases, and Ribecky delivered yet another big hit, roping a two-out single up the middle and scoring Carroll. A sacrifice fly from Nadratowski knotted the score at 3-3.
 
Wayne State answered with a run in the bottom half, but the Lakers responded with one of their own in the seventh.
 
Potts and Williams both singled to set up an RBI opportunity for Glick. A throwing error by the Warrriors' third baseman brought in the game-tying run.
 
The Lakers would not threaten again, though, and Wayne State took advantage of a balk and throwing error to deliver the game-winning tally in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Senior reliever Kevin Hallberg took the loss after two innings of work; junior Josh Griffith hurled six innings in relief of senior Evan Nietfeldt, yielding just two runs on five hits and three walks.
 
At the dish, Williams went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Potts was the only other Laker with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
 
The split brings GVSU's overall record to 14-9 and GLIAC mark to 6-4. Games three and four of the series will be played Saturday (April 4) afternoon. The doubleheader is slated for a 12 p.m. EDT start.

Notes:
-Three of Patrick Kelly's four career shutouts have come against Wayne State
-Kelly racked up nine ground outs in the win, usurping Matt Rafeld for the fourth-most by any Laker in a career (259)
-Kevin Zak's double in game one was the 40th of his career, tying him with Jon Visser ('98) for the fifth-most in school history
-With nine at bats in the doubleheader, Zak elevated his career total to 691, surpassing Cory Maguire ('10) and Steve Anderson ('12) for the second-most by a Laker
-Jamie Potts smacked his 38th career double, matching Tony Pfennig for the eighth-most in program history
-Mike Nadratowski's four at bats in the doubleheader broke a tie with Giancarlo Brugnoni ('14) for the sixth-most in GVSU history; he now has 673 at bats
-GVSU improved to 11-0 when scoring in the first inning; it is also 12-1 when scoring first
-The Lakers are 6-0 when their starting pitcher throws at least seven innings