ORLANDO, Fla.—The first day of the RussMatt Invitational was one of mixed emotions for the #9 Grand Valley State baseball team, as the squad surged to a euphoric  9-8 comeback victory over #20 Minnesota State-Mankato in the first game before falling in a lopsided 13-3 effort against Saint Joseph's (IN) in the matinee.
 
Tuesday's loss was the first of the season for GVSU (5-1), which won the first four games of the season to enter the RussMatt with the best start to a season since the 2009 campaign. A doubleheader against Minnesota-Duluth awaits the team on Wednesday morning, with the first game starting at 9:45 a.m.
 
The first game of the tournament for the Lakers pitted them against NSIC opponent Minnesota State-Mankato, the 20^th ranked team in the country and that was 4-2 entering the matchup. Neither team would score in the first two frames, but the Lakers struck first in the third inning, scratching one run across in the bottom of the frame on an Alex Young groundout RBI that scored Brody Andrews. Andrews had led off the inning with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a bunt single by Keith Browning. After Andrews and Browning advanced to second on a Johnny Nate sacrifice, Young scored Andrews for the game's first run.
 
Minnesota State would tie the game up at 1-1 in the fourth inning, and took a 4-1 lead with a big three-run fifth inning. After a scoreless bottom of the fifth for GVSU, the Mavericks added a fifth run in the top of the sixth to take a 5-1 lead. Not be deterred, the Lakers scored a pair in the bottom of the sixth, as Connor Glick led off the inning with his first home run of the season, and Andrews hit a deep double to left center that scored Seth Johnson form first with two outs to trim the lead to 5-3.
 
MSU tacked on a pair of runs in response in the top of the seventh frame to go up 7-3, only to see GVSU answer back, as a Glick single advanced Michael Battistelli into scoring position with two outs, and an Anthony Villar single to right field drove in Battistelli to make the score 7-4.
 
After the Mavericks tacked on an eighth and final run in the eighth inning, the Lakers were looking at their second RussMatt loss in as many seasons to Minnesota State, and being held scoreless in the bottom of the frame made that result seem even more likely. A frantic effort in the bottom of the ninth, aided by several Maverick miscues, paved the way for GVSU's second comeback victory of the season. Reaching on a fielder's choice with two men on was Villar, which plated Battistelli from third, and with two outs in the inning the Lakers walked three straight times as Johnson, Andrews and Austin LaDoux got on board, the last of which plated Villar. A pitching change by MSU didn't help them much, as a passed ball several pitches later brought in Johnson, followed by a wild pitch that allowed Andrews to score and tie the game up at 8-8.
 
With the comeback complete (though short of a victory in regulation), free baseball was in store for both sides, as the teams headed to the top of the 10^th inning, where Noah Lamboley came on in relief of Sawyer Chambers and secured the final two outs to give Grand Valley State another chance to end the game. With one out, sophomore Zach Berry beat out a high chopper to shortstop for a base hit, and came around to score from first on a towering blast to the outfield wall by Villar shortly thereafter, sliding into home to beat the throw and quickly surrounded by a mob of teammates.
 
Lamboley (2-0) earned the win in 2/3 of an inning of work, relieving Chambers (2.1 IP). Starter Ryan Arnold pitched seven innings in the no-decision.
 
Villar finished with three RBI's on two hits to lead GVSU, while Glick, Young, Andrews and LaDoux all dorve in one run, with Glick collecting two hits and Andrews scoring two runs. Seth Johnson notched a pair of runs on one hit and two walks.
 
Game two featured a matchup between the newly 5-0 GVSU and 7-2 Saint Joseph's College (N), a GLVC opponent that was off to a hot start on the season as well.
 
What was shaping up to be a great pitcher's duel between Lakers starter Jake Mason (1-0) and Pumas starter Lukas Jaksich (0-0) lasted through the first four innings, as Mason had six strikeouts through four innings and Jaksich, five. GVSU got to Jaksich in the second inning, as Matt Williams doubled down the right field line, and came in one batter later on an RBI single form second baseman Nick Schultz.
 
GVSu struck one more in the third, as Andrews put a flourish on his day at the plate with his first home run of the season, his solo shot leading off the top of the third and staking Mason out to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Pumas finally got to Mason, scoring on an RBI single and halving the Laker lead.
 
A quick and scoreless top of the fifth for the Lakers gave the Pumas more momentum, and they chased Mason for six more runs in the bottom of the frame to open up a 7-2 run. That signaled the end for Mason, who pitched 4.2 innings and struck out eight before being pulled in favor of Evan Koning, who was later relieved by A.J Mohr in turn. The Pumas did not relent, however, and scored three runs apiece in the seventh and eighth innings to sink the Lakers.
 
Matt Williams notched two hits, a run driven in an a run scored to lead GVSU in the game.
 
The loss was the first of the season for GVSU, but their schedule allows little time for reflection on it, as the team faces Minnesota-Duluth in a doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at 9:45 a.m.