The Grand Valley State softball team will be making its second straight appearance in the GLIAC Tournament Championship game after taking down Davenport, 8-0, in five innings to remain undefeated in this year's edition of the tournament. They will face the winner of the Northwood and Davenport game in tomorrow's championship at 10:00 AM. Since they are the lone undefeated team, they have to win just one more game while whoever their opponent is will have to take two games from them.
The Laker offense was once again on full display against the Panthers as they racked up eight runs on nine hits (.500 average) in just four at-bats. Four different Lakers tallied multi-hit games, led by sophomore
Taylor Rieger who was 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a team-high four RBI's. The trio of
Lydia Goble,
Brooke Henning, and
Morgan Wagner all tallied two hits apiece as well with Goble picking up two RBI's while Wagner added another and sophomore
Nikoma Holmen tacking one on as well.
Senior pitcher
Allison Lipovsky was once again lights out as she improved to 24-2 on the season after tossing a complete game shutout where she allowed just one hit while striking out three and issuing zero walks.
The Lakers got it started early with a run in the bottom of the first after a long sac fly from Holmen scored Rhynard who drew a leadoff walk. After a scoreless inning from Lipovsky, GVSU kept their bats alive and scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the second.
Henning knocked a double to left center before Wagner brought her home with a single back up the middle before Rieger laced a two-RBI double back into centerfield for the 4-0 Laker lead.
After a quiet third GVSU would go off for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth starting with yet another two-RBI double off the bat of Rieger before Goble would knock one herself to score both Rieger and Rhynard. Lipovsky would come back out for the top of the fifth and induce a foul out, line out, and pop out to end the game in five.
Again, GVSU will play the winner of the Northwood vs. Davenport game this afternoon in tomorrow's championship series.
