Grand Valley State got its offense on track on Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 19) in Allendale, sweeping visiting Lake Superior State and clinching another 30-win season. GVSU connected for four home runs in the opening game 9-5 win over LSSU, then added two more roundtrippers in a 12-0 mercy rule victory in the nightcap. 

Coming into Tuesday's twinbill, Grand Valley State had hit 15 homers on the season, but the Lakers totaled six dingers in the doubleheader, coming from four different players. In total, GVSU notched 21 runs on 28 hits in the sweep.

The Lakers have now won seven straight games and improve to 30-8 overall and 15-5 in conference play. It marks the sixth straight season and the 21st time in school history that Grand Valley State has recorded a 30-win season. Lake Superior State is just 5-31 on the year and 1-19 in GLIAC games.

Senior McKenze Supernaw and freshman Shannon Flaherty each homered twice in the twinbill; Supernaw connected for two roundtrippers in game one, while Flaherty cleared the fence in each contest. Juniors Jenna Lenza (game one) and Janae Langs (game two) also went deep to cap the offensive attack.

Game one did not start out as an offensive battle. Each team score in the second inning; LSSU on an infield single, Grand Valley State on a sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, however, the home Lakers opened up the offense for both teams. Supernaw led off the frame with an opposite field solo homer to right center field, her fourth of the season. That was followed three pitches later by Flaherty's solo blast to dead center field, her second long ball of the year. An RBI single from Langs later in the inning made it 4-1, GVSU.

The last time Grand Valley State hit back-to-back homers was last season, when Supernaw and Ellie Balbach connected on consecutive roundtrippers on April 16, 2015 in a 7-6 loss at Northwood.

It was 5-2 in the sixth inning when Lenza smashed a two-run homer down the left field line, scoring sophomore Kaylie Rhynard, who singled home classmate Teagan Shomin earlier in the sixth. After Balbach ripped a single to right field, Supernaw drilled a deep homer to left field, a no-doubter that made the Laker advantage 9-2. 

Supernaw had a historic outing against Lake Superior State the last time the teams met, on April 7, 2015 in Allendale. The then-junior went 5-for-5 in the opening game with a double, two homers, and seven RBI. With today's two-homer effort, Supernaw has each of the last two such performances by a GVSU player.

Lake Superior State plated three runs in the seventh inning, but Grand Valley State's lead was too much to overcome.

Eight different players recorded a hit for GVSU, led by Supernaw's 3-for-4 outing, including two homers, two runs, and three RBI. Lenza was also 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, a run, and two ribbies. Langs went 2-for-3 and Flaherty scored twice.

Freshman Allison Lipovsky won her 10th game of the year, improving to 10-1 overall. She allowed one run on four hits in five innings in the circle. Balbach pitched the final two innings and picked up her second save.

Game two also started slow until Grand Valley State took off in the third inning. Langs kicked off the scoring by ripping a two-run homer over the right center field fence, scoring junior Kelsey Dominguez, who led off the inning with a double.

The 2-0 advantage grew to 5-0 when Flaherty launched a high fly ball down the left field line and it stayed just inside the foul pole for a three-run roundtripper, her third home run on the year. 

GVSU's 6-0 lead doubled in the fifth inning when the Lakers plated six runs on eight hits. Junior Ali Vander Meer started things with an RBI single, Supernaw and Flaherty addded RBI doubles, and senior Chelsea Horvath followed with a run-scoring single, as well. The final runs came on an opposite field two-run single from Rhynard to make the score 12-0.

The benefactor of the Lakers' second-highest run total of the year was sophomore Courtney Reinhold. She moves to 6-3 on the season by allowing just two hits in five innings. Reinhold walked one batter and struck out six LSSU batters in the victory.

10 different Lakers collected a base hit in game two, as GVSU outhit the visitors, 15-2. Lenza, Supernaw, Flaherty, Horvath, and Dominguez all totaled two hits, while Vander Meer and Flaherty each scored twice. Flaherty posted a career-high four RBI, while Langs and Rhynard notched two RBI apiece.

Grand Valley State will continue its season-ending eight-game homestand this weekend. The Lakers face Malone on Friday (Apr. 22), Walsh on Saturday (Apr. 23), and Hillsdale on Sunday (Apr. 24) at the GVSU Softball Field.