Saint Charles, Mo. – The road to a seventh NCAA Division II World Series just got tougher for the Grand Valley State baseball team, as it fell to Drury in the Midwest Regional opener. The No. 13 Lakers managed just seven hits—five of which came in the eighth inning—in a 9-4 loss at Lindenwood University's Lou Brock Sports Complex on Thursday (May 14).
 
After both teams traded 1-2-3 innings to open the game, Drury went on to score in all but two of its final eight frames.
 
A pair of Panther errors helped the Lakers keep things close early on. In the second, senior outfielder Jamie Potts reached on a throwing error, while sophomore utility player Matt Williams smacked a grounder to the hole at second, resulting in a fielding error. Once senior third baseman Aaron Overbeck moved them into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, junior designated hitter Jason Ribecky drove in a run with a groundout to first, making it 2-1 Panthers.
 
The run did nothing to rattle the confidence of Drury's starting pitcher, Trevor Richards, who did not allow a hit until junior first baseman Josh Griffith singled in the fifth.
 
GVSU clawed its way back into the game with a five-hit, three-run rally in the eighth.
 
Senior second baseman drew a one-out walk, redshirt senior shortstop Kevin Zak singled through the left side and Potts lined a single into center field, loading the bases. Next, Williams brought in a pair with a chopper up the middle, which also knocked Richards out of the game. Following a pinch-hit single by senior Mitchell Kozlowski, Ribecky collected his second RBI of the day with a hard-hit single up the middle.
 
Although the Lakers trimmed the deficit to four runs, Drury tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. And an infield single by senior outfielder Mike Nadratowski was all GVSU produced in its final at bat of the game.
 
Redshirt junior starting pitcher Patrick Kelly took the loss, falling to 7-2 on the season. Eight of the nine runs and all 14 hits by Drury were charged to Kelly during his 7 1/3 innings of work. Relievers Mitch Ashcraft and Jordan Drake combined for the final 1 2/3 innings.
 
Offensively, Potts finished 1-for-4 with two runs. Zak went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. The duo of Williams and Ribecky combined for all four Laker RBIs and were both 1-for-4 at the dish.
 
GVSU will face the loser of the afternoon game between top-seeded Quincy and sixth-seeded Ashland. First pitch for the tournament's first elimination game is slated for 12 p.m. EDT on Friday (May 15).