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A three-run fifth inning helped spur Grand Valley State to a 5-4 upset in the NCAA Midwest Region 1 Tournament over #2 Indianapolis on the Greyhounds' home field in Indianapolis. The Lakers held on for the one-run victory on Friday afternoon (May 6) and advance to Saturday's (May 7) regional championship game against Trevecca Nazarene at 3:00 p.m.
 
Both GVSU and Indianapolis were playing in Friday's elimination game after varying results earlier in the day. The fourth-seeded Lakers fell by a 5-1 score to eight-seed Trevecca Nazarene in the winner's bracket game on Friday morning. Indianapolis, who lost to Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday afternoon, stayed alive in the tournament with an 11-3 mercy rule victory over Southern Indiana.
 
With the victory, GVSU improves to 39-11 on the year. Indianapolis, the host school, top seed in the region, and the #2 nationally ranked team in the country, sees its season end with an incredible 51-5 record.
 
Friday's first two results - Grand Valley State's loss and Indianapolis' victory - set up an interesting rematch of the 2013 Midwest Super Regional Tournament, also in Indianapolis. That year, GVSU was the #9 team in the country and Indianapolis was the #1 ranked team in Division II. The Lakers won the first and third games in the best-of-three series to stun the top-ranked Greyhounds on their home field and advance to the Division II College World Series.
 
The starting pitchers in that winner-take-all third game on May 18, 2013 were a pair of freshmen: Sara Andrasik for Grand Valley State and Morgan Foley for Indianapolis. Both players are now seniors and both were the pitchers of record in Friday's rematch.
 
Andrasik threw the final 4.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits. She walked one and struck out two to move her record to 14-3 on the year. Foley, the GLVC Pitcher of the Year and reigning consensus First Team All-American, sees her tremendous career end with a 40-4 record this year. She gave up five earned runs and eight hits in her six innings in the circle, walking three and striking out nine. Foley ends her career ranked second in Division II history in strikeouts, with over 1,600 punchouts.
 
GVSU started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, as the Lakers won the coin and chose to be the home team. With two outs, junior Jenna Lenza drilled a double to deep left center field off of Foley. Senior McKenze Supernaw followed with a single to centerfield, as Lenza rounded third and slid into home safely, just beating the throw from the outfield for the game's first run.
 
The Greyhounds answered GVSU's run with one of their own. A single to center field from Tayler Weck scored Emma Varsberg, who led off the frame with a single. Grand Valley State was not out of trouble yet, as Indianapolis had the bases loaded with one out. Laker starter Courtney Reinhold buckled down to get a forceout at home and a lineout to escape any further trouble and keep the game tied at 1-1.
 
GVSU immediately responded with a run in the home half of the second inning. With one out, senior Chelsea Horvath drilled a shot to right center field, cruising into second base for a double. Junior Janae Langs followed Horvath's double with a two-bagger of her own, lining a ball in front of the diving UIndy left fielder, who was unable to make the play. Horvath raced in and scored, putting the Lakers back in front, 2-1.
 
Indianapolis kept the scoring going, as single runs were scored in four consecutive half-innings. In the top of the third, the Greyhounds loaded the bases with one out. Reinhold was lifted for Andrasik, the senior looking to bookend her career with another huge victory in Indianapolis. She kept the damage minimal, allowing just a sacrifice fly to Weck, but induced an inning-ending groundout. The Greyhounds tied the score at 2-2, but stranded two more runners, a common theme on Friday.
 
In the UIndy fourth, the Greyhounds put two runners on base to start the inning. After a fielder's choice kept the runners on first and second base with one out, Supernaw snared a line drive, as she dove to her left to make the catch, then leaned over and tagged first base with her glove for the clutch inning-ending double play.
 
With the score still tied at 2-2, Grand Valley State put together a three-run, three-hit inning in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Teagan Shomin worked a one-out walk and moved to second on a perfectly placed bunt by classmate Kaylie Rhynard. Lenza ripped a shot off Foley deep to center field and high off the wall. She settled for her second double of the game, as Shomin scored to put GVSU in front, 3-2.
 
The Lakers were not done. Supernaw followed two pitches later with a bloop single to right field, moving Lenza to third and bringing in Rhynard for a 4-2 cushion. Junior Ellie Balbach ripped a hard grounder at UIndy's second baseman, who misplayed the ball, which rolled into the outfield. Lenza scored easily for a 5-2 Laker advantage. GVSU notched three runs on three hits in the frame.
 
Indianapolis put its first two runners on base without a hit; a walk and a Laker error helped the Greyhounds' comeback attempt. Consecutive singles from Erika Goodwin and Jessie Noone brought in two runs and made the score 5-4. GVSU head coach Dana Callihan stuck with Andrasik in the circle despite the two-on, no-outs predicament.
 
 Andrasik rewarded Callihan's faith in her, as the senior struck out cleanup hitter Natalie Lalich on three pitches for the first out. The next batter - catcher Jenny Thompson - hit a long fly ball to left field. Junior Kelsey Dominguez tracked the ball back to the fence, reached up, and snared the ball at the top of the wall, saving at least an extra base hit and perhaps multiple runs from scoring. After a hit by pitch, Andrasik left the bases loaded by getting a groundout to Lenza at second base.
 
GVSU threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning with a one-out Horvath single  and a two-out walk to Shomin. A popup ended that threat.
 
Andrasik needed a mere four pitches to finish off the victory, notching groundouts to first base, third base, and shortstop to end the game and send the Lakers back to the regional championship game.
 
Due to the double elimination format, Grand Valley State will need to defeat Trevecca Nazarene twice on Saturday to move to next week's Midwest Super Regional championship, at a location to be determined. Should GVSU win the 3:00 p.m. game over the Trojans, the teams will meet again at 5:30 p.m. in a winner-take-all championship.
 
Indianapolis outhit the Lakers by a 10-8 tally. GVSU committed three errors to UIndy's one miscue, but the Greyhounds ended up leaving 12 runners on base in the loss.
 
Reinhold's start lasted 2.1 innings, as she allowed two earned runs on six hits. She walked two batters. Andrasik now has 57 career victories (including both of GVSU's wins at the tournament), good for eighth-most in Laker history.
 
Lenza, Supernaw, and Horvath all tallied two hits apiece, with Lenza scoring twice and driving in a run and Supernaw notching a pair of RBI. Shomin worked a pair of walks off Foley and scored a run, while Langs had a hit and RBI.
 
Since 2013, GVSU and Indianapolis have played six times in the NCAA Tournament, with the Lakers owning a 4-2 record during that time. Foley was the pitcher of record in the last four meetings between the teams; GVSU defeated the three-time All-American in three of those four contests.
 
Overall, Grand Valley State is now 38-28 in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and have won at least two games in eight of those 14 trips to the postseason.
 
The Lakers are advancing to the regional championship game/series for the seventh time in school history, also doing so in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2013.