The #15 Grand Valley State softball team earned a couple of wins over GLIAC foe Wayne State on Monday afternoon (April 2) by scores of 4-1 and 6-1. With the pair of victories, the Lakers improve to 21-5 overall and 8-0 in GLIAC play while the Warriors fall to 18-11 and 3-5 in the conference.
 
Junior Allison Lipovsky earned the victory in game one of the doubleheader to improve to 10-2 on the season. The righty tossed a one-run, six-hit, complete game while striking out eight Warriors in the process. Senior Allie Grys was just as dominant on the day, as she collected her seventh win of the season to improve to 7-1. Grys tallied a complete game four-hitter to go along with four strikeouts while WSU's lone run was unearned.
 
Offensively, the Laker lineup made sure to help out their pitchers, as they tallied 10 runs on 16 hits between the two games Monday afternoon. Freshman Brooke Henning had herself a series, as she went 4-for-7 (.571) while picking up two RBI's. Fellow freshman Taylor Rieger picked up three hits on the day while Kaylie Rhynard and Bailey Thatcher each picked up a pair as well. Jessica Ramos, Teagan Shomin, Kelcie LaTour, Shannon Flaherty, and Nikoma Holmen all added to the Laker hit totals as well. Rieger led the squad with 3 RBI's.
 
Game 1 (W, 6-1)
It was a pitcher's duel to start game one of the doubleheader as neither Lipovsky or Megan Guitar for the Warriors allowed either team a viable scoring chance in the first two innings as the teams combined for just four total hits.
 
The Laker offense finally broke through in the top of the third inning after Thatcher got on with a leadoff single. After Shomin was hit by a pitch, Rhynard laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with just one out. A Laker pop-up put the pressure on Holmen with two outs but the freshman delivered with a two-RBI single to center field for the first runs of the game and the 2-0 Laker lead.
 
Lipovsky kept rolling over the next few innings to preserve the lead and the Laker offense added another run in the top of the fifth. Rhynard got on with a one-out double down the left field line before stealing third and scoring off the bat of Rieger to put GVSU up 3-0. The Warriors got a run back in the bottom of the frame however after a two-out single found its way through the infield.
 
The Lakers added a few insurance runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings after Flaherty stole home and Shomin reached on an error that scored Henning in the sixth before Rieger delivered a solo shot to left field in the seventh. Lipovsky rolled through the final few innings for her 10th win of the season.
 
Game 2 (W, 4-1)
The Lakers struck early in the second game of the afternoon, scoring in the first inning. Rhynard tallied a one out single to right field before scoring all the way from first after a Rieger double to center field. Grys quickly got to work in the bottom of the frame, going 1-2-3 with a strikeout and two groundouts.
 
Both pitchers would lock in throughout the second, third, and fourth innings, as the teams combined for just five hits during that time. The Warriors did plate a run in the bottom of the second however, after a Laker error allowed WSU's leadoff batter to score.
 
The Lakers ended the offensive drought in the top of the fifth however. Both Rhynard and Rieger got on base thanks to Warrior errors and Henning made them pay with a two RBI double double down the left field line to push GVSU's lead to 3-1. Grys induced three straight Warrior groundouts in the bottom of the fifth and GVSU would tack on another run in the top of the sixth.
 
Kayla Plastiak drew a leadoff walk before swiping second base and scoring off of a Shomin single to centerfield for the 4-1 Laker lead. Grys would allow just two baserunners in the sixth and seventh innings and put an exclamation point on her seventh victory of the season with three straight strikeouts to end the game and secure GVSU's 21st win of the season.
 
While the Lakers were originally scheduled to play the Davenport Panthers on Tuesday, April 3, the doubleheader has been moved to Monday the 9th. Prior to that however, the Lakers will travel to the Panthers field for a doubleheader on Friday, April 6 and down to Purdue Northwest on Saturday, April 7.