Grand Valley State opened up conference play on Friday afternoon (Mar. 25) in Ohio, as the Lakers earned a split against GLIAC rival Ashland. The Eagles scored five late runs to steal 6-5 victory in the opener before GVSU bounced back to take game two by a 4-3 score.
 
It was the GLIAC opening doubleheader for both teams. After the twinbill, Grand Valley State is 16-4 overall and 1-1 in league action, while Ashland is 10-11 on the season and also 1-1 in conference play. GVSU will travel to Painesville, Ohio on Saturday for a pair of games against Lake Erie. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
The Lakers got off to a terrific start in their first inning of conference play, notching four runs on three base hits. GVSU put two runners on base when sophomore Kaylie Rhynard tagged a one-out single and stole second base, followed by a hit by pitch to senior McKenze Supernaw. Two batters later, junior Jenna Lenza walked to load the bases with two outs. Freshman Shannon Flaherty cleared the bases with a three-run triple to right center field, opening up a 3-0 lead.
 
Junior Kelsey Dominguez followed Flaherty's three-bagger with a run-scoring single, upping the Laker advantage to 4-0. The lead would stay that way until the third inning. Ashland, which left two runners on base in both of the first two innings, finally cracked through with an RBI double from Sarah Alley in the third frame, cutting the score to 4-1.
 
Ashland made it 4-3 in the fifth inning with a pair of runs off of Laker sophomore pitcher Courtney Reinhold. Then the Eagles took the lead in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Alley again came through with a two-run single, putting AU ahead 5-4. Junior Ellie Balbach relieved Reinhold and got out of trouble, despite allowing an RBI groundout to make the score 6-4 heading to the seventh.
 
Consecutive one-out doubles from senior Chelsea Horvath and sophomore Teagan Shomin made it 6-5, with Shomin advancing to third base on a groundout. With the tying runner on third base and two outs, Supernaw's line drive was snared by the third baseman, ending the game and the potential comeback.
 
Ashland out hit the Lakers 12-7 and Grand Valley State committed three errors defensively. Three of GVSU's seven hits (two doubles, a triple) went for extra bases.
 
Reinhold (4-1) suffered her first loss of the season, allowing 12 hits and six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings in the circle. Her two walks equaled her two strikeouts.
 
Lenza was the lone Laker with multiple hits, as she went 2-for-2 and scored a run. Flaherty was 1-for-3 with three RBI.
 
Grand Valley State got off to another good start in game two, with Lenza providing the big punch. After senior Sara Andrasik worked a 1-2-3 top of the first, Shomin led off with a single, quickly followed by ground rule double from Rhynard. Lenza then smashed a three-run home run to left field, her first roundtripper of the season.
 
Andrasik enjoyed the 3-0 lead, retiring the Eagles in order in both the second and third inning. Her streak of 11 consecutive retired batters ended with a two-out single in the fourth inning, but Andrasik stranded the runner to end the frame.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, freshman Rachel Terwilliger doubled to right center and came in to score on Horvath's opposite field RBI single to up the advantage to 4-0.
 
The Eagles made it 4-1 in the fifth without the benefit of a hit off of Andrasik. Ashland used a pair of walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly to make it a three-run deficit. In the sixth, Alley provided AU with an RBI single and Kalene Freshour added a run on a base hit, making the score 4-3.
 
Freshman Allison Lipovsky relieved Andrasik with two runners on and two outs in the sixth and recorded a groundout to end the threat. In the seventh, Lipovsky worked around a two-out infield single to field a comebacker in the circle and fired to first base for the game-ending out.
 
Andrasik moves to 5-1 on the season by giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits in 5.2 innings. Like Reinhold, Andrasik recorded two walks and two strikeouts. Lipovsky worked the final 1.1 innings for her first collegiate save.
 
The Lakers notched a 10-6 advantage in hits, with Rhynard posting a 3-for-4 line with a double and a run scored. Lenza finished 1-for-2 with the homer and three RBI. Balbach went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.