Game 1 Highlights
Game 2 Highlights

The #18-ranked Grand Valley State softball team earned two more victories Saturday (Mar. 24) afternoon after blanking Northwood in both games of a doubleheader, 9-0 (5 inn.) and 5-0. With the pair of victories, GVSU now improves to 17-5 overall and 4-0 in conference play while extending their win streak to nine games.
 
Junior Allison Lipovsky earned the victory in game one to improve to 8-2 on the season. The righty tossed five scoreless innings, striking out 10 and walking just two while giving up two hits, as the Lakers earned the mercy rule victory after the fifth inning. Freshman Hannah Beatus got the nod in game two and delivered with a five hit, seven strikeout, one walk performance that pushed her record to 4-2 on the season.
 
Sophomore Kelcie LaTour turned in a 4-for-5 performance at the plate that saw her pick up three RBI's and a double. Both freshman Nikoma Holmen and senior Teagan Shomin tallied four hits in six at-bats. Holmen picked up a team-high six RBI's in the doubleheader, highlighted by a three-run homer in the first game, while Shomin led the team with four runs scored. Taylor Rieger (3-for-5) and Kaylie Rhynard (4-for-8) tallied two RBI's apiece while Jessica Ramos picked up a pair of hits and Tanner Kiessel, Brooke Henning, and Bailey Thatcher all recorded a hit as well.
 
As a team, GVSU combined for 14 runs on 24 hits in 11 innings of play while the pitching staff gave up zero runs on seven hits and tallied 17 strikeouts to just three walks.
 
Game One (W, 9-0, 5 inn.)
Lipovsky set the tone early in game one as she sat down the first three Northwood batters on back to back swining strikeouts before a three-pitch backwards K. The Laker offense followed suit by scoring three runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame. Shomin got on with a leadoff hit by pitch before advancing to second on a Rhynard single up the middle. Rieger laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners up before Holmen hit a towering shot to right centerfield for the quick 3-0 lead. Both LaTour and Thatcher would get on with two outs but a groundout would end the threat.
 
After surrendering a one-out walk and a two out single to put runners on first and second, Lipovsky pumped the gas and tallied her fifth strikeout of the game to get out of the inning. GVSU's offense kept things rolling as Shomin and Rhynard tallied back to back one out singles before Holmen once again delivered, this time with a single back up the middle that brought both runners around for the 5-0 lead. Holmen advanced to second on an error by the centerfielder before also coming around to score after a LaTour double to center to put GVSU up 6-0 in the second.
 
Neither team had anything doing in the third or fourth innings and after Lipovsky retired the Timberwolves in the top of the fifth, the Laker offense came back to life. With two outs, Ramos doubled to left center and scored just one batter later as Henning delivered a single to left. Shomin took a pitch straight off of her back to put runners on first and second and Rhynard ended the game with a double to center to put the Lakers up 9-0, enacting the mercy rule for the victory.
 
Game Two (W, 5-0)
Beatus got things started off with a strikeout in game two before NU's second batter got on after a Laker error. That miscue was quickly neutralized however, as Beatus induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the early threat.
 
Once again, the Laker offense got things going early with a leadoff double from Shomin who advanced to third after a Rhynard single. Rieger delivered a sacrifice fly that brought in Shomin and moved Rhynard up to third before Holmen collected yet another RBI with a sac fly of her own. The Lakers would end the inning with a 2-0 lead.
 
The Timberwolves tallied a one-out single but Beatus got the next two batters out on a flyout and a groundout to preserve the lead. GVSU couldn't get anything going in the bottom of two and Beatus kept rolling through the top of the third.
 
GVSU broke through again in the bottom half of the inning with another two-out rally. Rieger got things started with a two-out single before Holmen delivered a double to left center to put runners on second and third. LaTour came up and added a couple more RBI's to her stat line with a single to left field that scored both Rieger and Holmen and gave the Lakers the 4-0 lead.
 
Beatus held the Timberwolves hitless over the next two innings while the Lakers managed just a few over that time as well. Northwood would tally two hits in the top of the sixth but another double play, this time a 4-6-3, would end the inning. GVSU put one more run up in the bottom of the frame after Kiessel singled to right before stealing second and advancing to third on a Shomin single. Rieger delivered this time for the Lakers after singling to third base and scoring Kiessel in the process.
 
The Timberwolves would threaten in the top of the seventh, putting runners on first and second with zero outs. A fielder's choice put baserunners on first and third with just one out but after Shomin recorded the 5-3 groundout, the Timberwolf runner on third broke for home where Holmen delivered a perfect throw from first and Rhynard applied the tag to end the game.
 
The Lakers will be back in action tomorrow afternoon (Mar. 25) as they are set to host Saginaw Valley State in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 PM.