Grand Valley State celebrated Senior Day in style on Saturday (Apr. 22), as the Lakers not only swept a doubleheader over visiting Lake Erie, but the team took over sole possession of first place in the GLIAC standings, and extended its winning streak to 13 consecutive games. GVSU earned a 5-2 win over the Storm in the opener and notched a wild 12-5 victory over LEC in the nightcap for the sweep.

With the wins, the Lakers are now 25-15 on the year after owning a 12-15 record after the opening game of a doubleheader on Apr. 2. At 11-5 in GLIAC play, Grand Valley State is in first place with four teams - Wayne State, Ohio Dominican, Hillsdale, and Saginaw Valley State - all just one game behind in the loss column. GVSU is a perfect 10-0 at home this season, with another home twinbill on Sunday (Apr. 23) against Walsh at noon.

The team's 13-game winning streak matches last year's 13-game streak from Apr. 14 to Apr. 24. GVSU won 14 straight games from Mar. 8 to Apr. 3, 2013 and 16 consecutive contests from Mar. 8 to Mar. 27, 2009.

Lake Erie is 12-22 overall and 5-13 in conference play after Saturday's doubleheader.

Saturday's victories gave third-year head coach Dana Callihan her 100th victory at the helm of the Laker program. In three years, Callihan is 100-45 as GVSU head coach.

Game One (W, 5-2)

The Storm took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-out, two-run single from Kristin Peacock before sophomore pitcher Allison Lipovsky struck out the next LEC batter looking to end the frame.

GVSU cut the deficit in half with a run in the third. Junior Tanner Kiessel doubled to right center to lead off the frame and moved to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt from senior Janae Langs. Two pitches later, junior Teagan Shomin laced a single into left field to score Kiessel. Although the Lakers would later leave the bases loaded, the score was now 2-1.

After allowing a leadoff double in the third inning, Lipovsky started to settle into a groove. She struck out the next three batters to end the inning and went 1-2-3 again in the fourth frame.

The Lakers erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and it all started with two outs. Kiessel singled down the left field line, which was followed by a Langs single up the middle. Shomin brought in both runners - and herself - as she powered a three-run homer the opposite way over the left center field fence to put GVSU in front, 4-2. The two-out scoring continued, as senior Jenna Lenza singled and came home on freshman Kelcie LaTour's first collegiate triple. The three-bagger down the right field line put the Lakers in front, 5-2.

That would be more than enough for Lipovsky. After setting down six straight batters in the third and fourth innings, she put together 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, marking 15 consecutive retired batters for the three-time defending GLIAC Pitcher of the Week. Lipovsky moves to 11-3 on the year with the complete game four-hitter. She notched 11 strikeouts against just one walk, allowing just a pair of earned runs. It is the fifth straight game and the eighth time this year she has recorded double-digit strikeouts.

GVSU outhit Lake Erie, 13-4. Lenza and LaTour both went 3-for-4, while Kiessel was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Shomin homered as part of her 2-for-4 effort and collected four RBI. LaTour's triple would be the first of three triples for the Lakers as a team on Saturday.

Game Two (W, 12-5)

Sophomore Shannon Flaherty started the scoring in game two with a leadoff solo homer on the first pitch of the second inning. It was the first roundtripper for Flaherty this season, giving GVSU the 1-0 cushion.

The advantage grew to 5-0 in the third inning. Langs ripped a one-out triple into the right field corner and slid in safely to third base. She came in on a Shomin infield RBI single for the 2-0 edge. LaTour followed a Lenza double (her 21st of the season) with a single back up the middle to bring in both Shomin and Lenza. Freshman Jenna Czart pinch ran for LaTour and later made the score 5-0 on an Ellie Balbach run-scoring single.

Lake Erie, however, tallied four runs in the home half of the third inning and knotted the score at 5-5 with a run in the fourth, as the recently strong Laker defense committed an error in both frames.

With the score now tied at 5-5, Grand Valley State responded with a five-run fifth inning, but the Lakers did so with just two hits. Senior Kelsey Dominguez delivered a go-ahead two-run double to left center to score Lenza and LaTour, who both walked to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Kiessel smashed a three-run homer down the left field line that just stayed inside the foul pole for the first roundtripper of her career.

The Lakers extended their 10-5 lead to 12-5 in the sixth with a bases loaded walk to freshman Kayla Plastiak and an RBI groundout from Dominguez. It is the second-most runs scored by GVSU this season (behind the 13 runs against Quincy on Mar. 7) and the most in a conference game in 2017.

Junior Allie Grys pitched a very effective five innings of relief to earn the victory and move to 6-1 on the year. She allowed one unearned run on four hits in relief, walking none and striking out three Lake Erie batters. Balbach started in the circle and gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits in two innings. It was her first pitching performance since Apr. 8 at home against Findlay.

Again, the Lakers had 13 hits in game two, with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Shomin and Kiessel each collected three base hits, while Kiessel and Dominguez totaled three RBI. LaTour went 1-for-2 with two runs and two ribbies, Flaherty was 2-for-3, and Lenza went 1-for-3 with two walks and scored three times.