vs. Wayne State
Saturday, April 29th: Live stats l Game Notes
Sunday April 30th: Live stats l Game Notes

DETROIT, Mich.-- The Grand Valley State baseball team will play the final full road series of the 2017 season this weekend with a road tilt against Wayne State on Saturday and Sunday. The teams will play a pair of doubleheaders, one on each day, in the first time matchup between the teams this season. Wayne State is second in the GLIAC at 27-14 overall and 17-7 in GLIAC play, while the Lakers head into the series at 26-16 overall and 14-10 in GLIAC play. Both doubleheaders are set for a start at noon, with the second game set to follow after a brief break in-between games. 

GVSU is coming off a four-game split with Hillsdale, and had been winners of three straight heading into that home/away split.  A complete game shutout by Ryan Arnold paced the way for an 8-0 victory in the opener for GVSU, but the offense came up short in the nightcap as the team fell 8-3. After both teams relocated back to Allendale for the second doubleheader on Sunday, Hillsdale took the opening game 4-2 via a three-run home run in the fifth to erase a 2-0 Laker lead. Rebounding via a strong effort in the second game, the Lakers fell behind 2-0 through three innings but tagged on three runs in the fifth frame and three in the seventh to take game two rather easily, 6-2. Mitch Ashcraft started the game on the mound and hurled three innings before handing off to a trio of relievers (Brendan Nearing, Troy Dykhuis, Matt Williams) who combined for six scoreless innings by allowing just four hits and striking out 13 batters. 

At the plate, the Lakers were led by Josh Smith and Keith Browning, who drove in nine runs in the series between them while combining for 11 hits. Left fielder Seth Johnson hit .643 over the series, collecting nine hits in 12 at-bats, while Connor Glick hit a big two-run home run in the final game of the series, and drove in three runs on four hits total. GVSU hit .288 in the series, far below their .325 season average, but the Chargers were held to .188 and had just one home run in the series after entering the series with a GLIAC-best 43 round-trippers this season. 

Wayne State has been one of the top teams in the GLIAC this season, despite sporting an offense that doesn't exactly turn heads. The Warriors are ninth in runs scored (224), hits (361) and batting average (.278), and have struck out the eighth-most of any GLIAC team. Infielder Brad Baldwin was one of Wayne State's top bats last season and is their top hitter this season, batting .397 with 58 hits (18 doubles), three home runs and 35 runs batted in. Outfielder Griffin Harms is another top producer, batitng .329 and clubbing 48 hits (seven home runs) on his wat to a team-high 39 RBI. 

Wayne State owes some of its success to the pitching staff, which has the fourth-lowest ERA in the conference at 4.84 and leads the conference in strikeouts, with 321. The Warriors are also tied for fifth among GLIAC teams in double plays, with 30, and have caught 16 of 33 runners attempting to steal, which helps them further eliminate baserunners that they do allow. 

The Lakers are just one game back of fourth-place Tiffin in the conference standings, but have a chance to move up further than that with wins at Wayne State and against SVSU in the final series next weekend.