NASHVILLE, Tn.—The Grand Valley State baseball team notched another two victories on Saturday in the second day of the Ed Stewart Classic, winning the first game 6-4 and completing a comeback effort to win the second game 10-9. The Lakers won the second game on a walk-off base on balls after yielding nine runs to the Battlers in the inning prior.
 
With the wins, the Lakers are now 4-0 on the season and off to their best start since the 2009 season, when they also won their first four games.
 
The first game of the day began as a pitcher's duel between GVSU starter Ryan Arnold and Battler starter Randy Dobnak, as neither allowed a run in the first three innings. Eventually, Dobnak's luck ran out, as the Lakers chased him for five runs in the fourth inning of play. Catcher Connor Glick got on board with a one-out single, which third baseman Anthony Villar followed with a double to right field. After Glick was retired on a fielder's choice on which Matt Williams reached, Seth Johnson walked to load the bases. Austin LaDoux then struck out, but reached on a throwing error by the Battlers catcher, which also allowed Williams and Villar to score.
 
Michael Battistelli then singled to drive in Johnson and advance LaDoux to second. Shortsop Johnny Nate followed that with an RBI single to left field to score LaDoux and move Battistelli to third. Finally, a balk by Dobnak allowed Battistelli to come in and score to extend the lead to 5-0.
 
The Battlers responded with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom of the inning off of Arnold to pull within 5-2. Capitalizing on a brief top of the fifth inning by the Lakers, Alderson-Broaddus added another pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to pull within one run, 5-4. After a scoreless sixth inning by both teams, the Lakers were able to tack on an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
 
With one out, Alex Young walked to get on base, and advanced to second on a passed ball. A single by Keith Browning drove in Young, making the score 6-4. Heading to the mound in relief of Arnold, Matt Williams fanned twice on the way to a scoreless seventh, earning his second save in as many days. The Lakers managed six hits in total in the game as six different Lakers notched one hit each.
 
Arnold (1-0) earned the win, hurling six innings and giving up four runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five. Williams pitched one inning and struck out two to earn his second save.
 
In the second game, the Lakers scored a pair of runs in the second inning, one in the third, two in the fourth and another solo run in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead over the Battlers, who were confounded for five full innings by GVSU's Mitch Ashcraft. In the top of the sixth, however, Ashcraft was chased by the Battlers for four hits and five runs, and his replacements Grant Peters and Tate Brawley were tagged for three runs and one run, respectively, as Alderson-Broaddus too a 9-6 lead.
 
Unfazed, the Lakers rallied back in the bottom of the sixth inning to push across three runs and tie the game up. A fourth run was cut down at the plate to end the inning on what would have amounted to the go-ahead run. After Brawley held the Battlers off the board in the top of the seventh, GVSU had one final chance to earn the victory in the bottom of the frame.
 
Seth Johnson reached first on an error by the shortstop with one out, and would move to second after Brody Andrews drew a walk. After a Battlers pitching change, pinch hitter Austin LaDoux drew a walk as well, loading the bases for the Lakers. With two outs in the inning, the Battlers also walked in Alex Young, which scored Johnson and won the game with a walk-off.
 
Matt Williams led the Lakers with two hits, both doubles, and drove in one run and scored another. Seth Johnson, Nick Schultz and Brody Andrews each scored two runs, with Andrews adding a pair of RBI's. Johnny Nate had a hit and two RBI's, while Alex Young had a hit, a run scored and a run driven in.
 
On the mound, Ashcraft lasted five and two third innings, giving up five earned runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out five in the no decision. Brawley (1-0) earned his first career win as a Laker in relief, pitching 1.1 innings and giving up one run on three hits.
 
GVSU will next be in action in the RussMatt Invitational in Orlando Florida, where they will play 10 games from March 7-14^th.