Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind.— The Grand Valley State baseball team won it's season opener on Friday, outlasting Southern Indiana in extra innings in the first game of a three game series by a score of 4-3 after facing a 3-1 deficit early in the game.
 
Grand Valley State would get on the board in the first inning, managing to sneak a run across the plate without recording a hit. Center fielder Alex Young reached first base on a throwing error by SIU's third baseman, and then later advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Keith Browning flied out to right field, Young advanced to third, and with Connor Glick up to bat, Young scored on a passed ball.
 
Southern Indiana would get three runs in the bottom of the inning, however, smacking three straight doubles off of GVSU starter Troy Dykhuis and taking a 3-1 lead. Dykhuis would settle down after that, and limited the damage nicely with a flyout, a strikeout and a groundout.
 
After both teams scoring in the first inning, the teams traded three quiet frames apiece, as Dykhuis and SIU starter Colin Nowak settled into a bit of a pitchers duel. Dykhuis had found a groove, allowing just one hit, a single, after the first inning and striking out four. Nowak was cruising till he reached the fifth inning, having struck out six Lakers without allowing an unearned run.
 
Leading off the fifth for Grand Valley State, newcomer Johnny Nate hit a double off Nowak into left field. The next batter up, third baseman Anthony Villar, also making his Laker debut, smacked a two run home run out to left, evening up the score at 3-3.
 
The two teams traded scoreless frames in the sixth inning, with Dykhuis stranding two Eagles in the sixth inning after they reached via pitcher interference and a walk.
 
Tim Tarter took over in relief for Dykhuis in the seventh with the score tied, 3-3. Dykhuis went six innings, allowing three runs, walking one and striking out five on 83 pitches.  Tarter pitched a scoreless seventh, giving up one hit but striking out two.
 
In the eighth, GVSU got a two-out single from left fielder Jason Ribecky. After Zach Berry came in to pinch run for Ribecky, he was able to steal second base with Matt Williams at the plate, but Williams flied out to center to end the threat.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, the Screaming Eagles got a runner onto first, but were unable to advance him any further as Tarter induced a foulout and two flyouts to end the inning and advance to the ninth frame.
 
After Grand Valley State went three up, three down in the ninth, it was up to Tarter to prevent a walk off in the bottom of the ninth, and he delivered, getting three groundouts to take the game into extra innings.
 
The Lakers were held off the basepaths once again in the 10^th inning, and the Screaming Eagles once again had a chance to end the game in the bottom of the frame. Tarter struck out once, and got a groundout and a flyout to take down the Screaming Eagles yet again and send the game to an 11^th frame.
 
In the top of the 11^th inning, the Lakers finally struck paydirt, when Josh Griffith delivered a double down the infield line to score Connor Glick and put the Lakers up, 4-3. After the Eagles got the remaining two outs to get out of the jam, the ball was turned over to closer Matt Williams to try and seal the game for the Lakers.
 
Williams struck out the first Eagle he faced, and induced a flyout for the second out. After surrendering a single, Williams got the next batter to ground out, earning his first save of the season.
 
Tarter (1-0) earned the win on the mound, pitching four scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits and striking out three batters. Alex Holder (0-1) took the loss in relief for Southern Indiana, allowing an unearned run on two hits, striking out three and walking one. GVSU had seven hits on the day, and stranded seven runners.
 
Anthony Villar led the Lakers with two runs batted in and a home run. Josh Griffith has two hits and the game winning RBI, while Jason Ribecky had two hits as well.
 
The two teams are back in action tomorrow for the second game of the series. First pitch is set for 1:00 pm Central Time.