Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The #6 Grand Valley State softball team dropped a pair of one-run contests on the road to crosstown Davenport on Saturday afternoon as they fall to 29-7 overall and 13-5 in conference play. It was a cold and windy afternoon in Caledonia which led to a combined nine home runs, six of which came off of Panther bats. 
 
GVSU was originally scheduled to head to Kenosha, Wis. for a doubleheader against the Parkside Rangers tomorrow (April 14) but snow in the forecast has caused a reschedule to Sunday, April 28. 
 
Senior Allison Lipovsky (17-2) suffered just her second loss of the season in game one, as she tossed a complete game eight-hitter where she allowed six runs while striking out five. Freshman Samantha Gehrls also suffered her first loss of the season as she's now 4-1 when she allowed seven runs in six innings while also striking out five. 
 
Sophomore Taylor Rieger supplied three RBI's in the first game and another in game two as she was 4-7 on the afternoon to power the offense. Thatcher added the other two RBI's in game one while Lydia Goble, Kaitlyn Plocinski, and Shannon Flaherty all added one in game two as well. 
 
Game One (L, 6-5)
The Panthers got to the Lakers first in the bottom of the fifth, when a leadoff hit-by-pitch and walk led to a 2 RBI single down the left line as they took the early 2-0 lead. 
 
GVSU went down in order to start the second while the Panthers were able to add to their lead thanks to three homers during the cold and windy bottom of the inning. The Lakers finally got on the board in the top of the third thanks to a Rieger double to right center but DU answered with yet another homer in the bottom of the frame. 
 
The Lakers got some more offense from Rieger in the top of the fifth when the sophomore knocked a 2 RBI homer down the left field line after a Flaherty single. Another 2 RBI homer – this time from Thatcher – would bring the Lakers to within one heading into the top of the seventh as Lipovsky found a nice groove on the mound and held the Panthers scoreless after the third. 
 
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they would get just one runner on in their last at-bats as their comeback bid would fall a run short, 6-5. 
 
Game Two (L, 7-6)
The Lakers took the early lead in game two thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Plocinski that brought in Goble who knocked a single of her own two batters earlier. Gehrls retired the first two batters before giving up a single and walk but induced a pop out to keep the Panthers off the board. 
 
Rieger led the third inning off with her second homer of the afternoon, this time to right center, but DU answered right back with a walk and three straight singles as they cut the lead back down to one, 2-1. 
 
Both teams would score again in the fourth but it would be the Panthers who came out ahead by the end of it. Flaherty knocked a single through the left side to score Thatcher to go up 3-1 but Gehrls surrendered a 3-run shot in the bottom of the frame as GVSU quickly found themselves down 4-3. 
 
 The Panthers would add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two more as GVSU went down three, 6-3. 
 
They would make it a 1-run game in the sixth however, as Goble would single through the right side to score Flaherty while a throwing error by the shortstop would also allow Rhynard to race home to cut the lead to 6-5. 
 
DU would once again homer in the sixth to make a 2-run game which would turn out to be the difference as the Lakers would manage a run in the top of the seventh but once again fall just short of the comeback, 7-6.