AUBURNDALE, Fla.—The Grand Valley State baseball team closed out their slate of  Russmatt Invitational games with a flourish, following up Friday's 13-0 shutout of Alderson-Broaddus with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Slippery Rock on Saturday. With the win, Grand Valley improves to 6-5-1 on the season.
 
Four different Lakers (Connor Glick, Johnny Nate, Jason Ribecky and Matt Williams) had two hits apiece, while Nate added a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Keith Browning had a single and two RBI's, while Nate, Glick and Williams each drove in a run apiece in support of Josh Griffith. Griffith pitched eight strong innings, giving up one unearned run on five hits, while surrendering just one walk and striking out six. Matt Williams pitched a scoreless ninth inning in relief, striking out one.
 
The game opened with both teams exchanging a pair of scoreless innings, before GVSU struck in the third. After Nate and Alex Young both singled, second baseman Josh Smith advanced them to third and second, respectively, with a well placed sacrifice bunt. Keith Browning then hit a sacrifice fly to score Nate, and Young subsequently stole third. Williams then singled to left to score Young and make the score 2-0. Jason Ribecky followed Williams with a single of his own, putting Williams in scoring position for Connor Glick, who spotted a single down the left field line to score Williams.
 
Glick would be a crucial piece in the next Lakers score in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he singled up the middle, then stole second and was eventually brought home by an RBI double from Johnny Nate.  After Slippery Rock got a run back by scoring in the top of the 7^th inning, the Lakers would score the game's final two runs in the bottom of the eighth.
 
With one out, Anthony Villar came up with his only hit of the game, a booming triple to left field off the wall to quickly put the Lakers in scoring position. After Nate walked and stole second, Alex Young also walked to load the bases. A third straight walk was issued, this time to Josh Smith, and the RBI BB made the score 5-1 in GVSU's favor. Keith Browning was the next batter up, and was well on his way to being walked (2-0 count) before being hit by a pitch, which also brought in a run, and upping the score to the final 6-1 margin.
 
Williams sat down The Rock in short order in the top of the ninth, securing the win for the Lakers.
 
The Lakers had a fine day on the base paths, as they swiped five bases on the day, and every Laker batter reached base safely in the game at least once.