Grand Valley State split a doubleheader with West Chester Sunday afternoon on its final day in Florida, dropping game one 7-5, but came back for a 7-0 shutout win in game two. The Lakers are 7-8 overall heading into the GLIAC portion of their schedule that will begin with a four-game series at Wayne State March 22.
Game 1
West Chester took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first on one hit and a Laker error, but the Lakers tied it with two runs in the top of the third.
Drake Ellens walked a 2B
Alex Mandeville reached on a fielders choice. SS
Parker Murdie walked to load the bases and
Chase Carpenter doubled to push two across the plate. The Lakers took a 3-2 lead with a run in the top of the fifth without the aid of a hit. Carpenter walked and moved to second on a sac bunt by
Joe Laudont. 1B
Ryan Blake-Jones walked and 3B
Anthony Cocco reached on a fielders choice that eventually scored Carpenter on an error by the second baseman. West Chester scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth on six hits and a Laker error to take a 7-3 lead. GVSU added two runs in the top of the seventh on two hits. Blake-Jones walked and advanced to third on a double from Cocco. C
Connor Grice singled to plate Blake-Jones and Cocco.
Carpenter was 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Grice drove in pair and Mandeville collected two hits.
Game 2
It was
Cade Cintorino on the hill for the Lakers and all he did was post his second consecutive complete-game shutout, yielding five hits and striking out 11. Cintorino has now tossed 14 consecutive innings of shutout ball in his last two outings, giving up nine hits with 18 strikeouts.
The Lakers pushed one run across in the bottom of the fiirst when SS
Parker Murdie opened with a walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt by
Chase Carpenter.
Joe Laudont walked and 3B
Anthony Cocco singled home Murdie. GVSU added another run in the bottom of the second on two hits with RF
Jacob Gleason opening the inning with a single, followed by a sac bunt from
Drake Ellens. Gleason then stole third and scored on a single by
Chase Carpenter. Carpenter drove home another run in the bottom of the third with a double to up the Laker advantage to 3-0.
GVSU broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the sixth on two hits and an error. Blake-Jones provided a bases loaded, two-out double that scored three and then scored on a passed ball after
Ryan Lorber singled him to third. Carpenter was 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Blake-Jones was 2-for-4 with three RBI.