Grand Valley State tallied an opening day split to open the 2019 baseball campaign at the Dunn Hospitality Classic hosted by Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind. GVSU dropped a 10-6 decision to #23 Ohio Dominican, but regrouped and defeated Truman State 13-1 in eight innings. The Lakers will play host and #15-ranked Southern Indiana in a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon Monday (Feb. 25). 

Game One - Ohio Dominican struck for three runs in the first and single run in the second before the Lakers plated three runs on five hits in the third inning. Nate Chase, SS Parker Murdie and DH Zach Berry each drove in a run. ODU built a 7-3 lead, but a three-run GVSU fifth inning pulled the Lakers within a run. RF Jacob Gleason opened the inning with a triple, followed by a single off the bat of 1B Ryan Blake-Jones. Blake-Jones advanced to second and third on wild pitches before scoring on a groundout. 3B Anthony Cocco walked and later scored on a Chase Carpenter single. The Panthers took a 10-6 lead in the top of the eighth with a 2-out, 3-run HR.  

GVSU scored six runs on 12 hits and committed one error, while ODU scored 10 runs on 12 hits with two errors. LF Jonathan Catapano and Chase Carpenter each collected a pair of hits, while six different Lakers recorded an RBI. Starting pitcher Jared Skubic took the loss on the hill. 

Game Two - Freshman starting pitcher Rylan Peets picked up the win in his first collegiate start, yielding one run on four hits through seven innings of work with seven strikeouts and no walks. Catapano singled to right to score Murdie, who opened the inning with a walk, in the top of the third. Truman tied the game in the bottom of third with three hits, but that is all they would get off Peets. The Lakers took the lead for good in the top of the fourth when Chase Carpenter tripled to center to score C Ryan Lorber. GVSU pushed across a third run in the top of the sixth when Lorber singled home 1B Nathan Bonter who opened the inning with a double to left. Cocco upped the lead to 4-1 with a single that scored Gleason in the seventh and the flood gates opened in the top of the eighth. GVSU scored nine runs on five hits, with the big blow being a 3-run double off the bat of Lorber. 

Grand Valley State scored 13 runs on 15 hits, highlighted by DH Zach Berry who was 3-for-6 with two RBI and C Ryan Lorber who was 2-for-5 with 4 RBI. Murdie and Cocco each tallied a pair of hits. Carpenter pitched a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts.