vs. Tiffin: Game Notes l Live stats 

ALLENDALE, Mich.-- The Grand Valley State baseball team will continue GLIAC play with a four-game series against Tiffin over the weekend, the first home conference series for the Lakers this season and part of a 10-game home slate for the Lakers spanning a week and a half. GVSU is 13-9 on the season, having won two straight games after dropping the opening three games of the conference slate to Walsh last weekend in Canton, Ohio. The Lakers took game four of the series against the Cavaliers 12-8, and defeated Lewis 2-1 in a mid-week home opener.

Play begins Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m., and continue withs a Sunday doubleheader picking up at noon. Standard doubleheader rules apply, meaning each opening game will be a seven-inning game followed by a nine-inning game in the nightcap. If the opening game goes to extra innings, the seocnd game automatically becomes a seven-inning game. 

Tiffin (12-12) is 5-3 in GLIAC play, and has won just two of their last six games, same as the Lakers. GVSU owns the series lead with the Dragons, having compiled a 20-12 record against them all-time, and splitting the four-game series last season in Allendale. Tiffin ranks seventh in the GLIAC in runs (109) and batting average (.293), while tying with Ashland for third in total hits (208). On the mound, the Dragons are sixth in ERA (4.75), third in strikeouts and have walked the eighth-most batters (74). 

The Lakers have found the power that was so desperately missing last season, as they lead the conference in doubles (53) and are ranked second in home runs (16) and are tied for third in the conference in total runs scored. In the series against Walsh, the Lakers scored 34 runs but gave up 36 in the four-game series, with most of the damage for either side coming in an 18-17 shootout, with a combined 46 hits, 11 of them being home runs. The series gave rise to the Lakers numbers on offense but blemished their team ERA, which was up above 5.00 after the series but now sits at 4.49 after the near-shutout of Lewis. 

Shortstop Johnny Nate has been a force at the placte this season, notching 26 hits and driving in a team-high 21 runs. Nate gave the Lakers a huge boost in the shootout game at Walsh, delivering a grand slam and finishing the game with a career-best six RBI. After batting .265 last season and slipping to the bottom of the Laker batting order, Nate has been swinging with a vengeance this seaosn and is second on the team with a .356 average. Backing him up is a trio of players (Connor Glick, Brody Andrews and Austin LaDoux) tied for sixth in the GLIAC in doubles, with eight. Glick is seocnd on the team in total hits (25) but leads the squad with 12 extra-base hits, and has tripled his home run total from last season thus far.

On the mound, the Lakers have had some bright spots despite an inflated ERA. The team boasts the GLIAC's highest BB:K Ratio (3.15), and the reliver trio of Noah Lamboley, Troy Dykhuis and Tate Brawley has been dominant this season, giving up just four earned runs in 26.1 combined innings and striking out 20 batters. Brawley was spectacular in a relief appearance against Lewis on Wednesday, entering the game in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and just one out. Brawley calmly struck out the next two batters, both swinging, to deliver the Lakers from the jam and set up Matt Williams for his fifth save of the season. 

If there has been a problem spot for the Lakers this season, it has been the middle innings, where opponents have scored the bulk of their runs. Conversely, GVSU has outscored opponents 46-17 in the first three innings and 13-10 in the eighth and ninth frames.