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Box Score 2 ROSEMONT, Ill. – The No. 3 Grand Valley State Lakers split their two games Saturday (Feb. 22) as they wrapped up the Lewis Dome Tournament. The Lakers beat Illinois Springfield, 8-1, in the first game before a 2-1 loss to Lindenwood in ten innings in game two. GVSU is now 2-2 after their opening weekend and turn their attention to the annual Spring Break trip to Florida next week.
Game one was an offensive barrage as the top of the Laker lineup once again put on an impressive display. Three Lakers drove in two runs each, including a two-run homer from
Taylor Rieger for her first long ball of the year, a moonshot that almost touched the top of the dome.
Nikoma Holmen and
Lydia Goble each drove in two runs as well.
Goble singled home two runs in the first inning then scored when Holmen lofted a sacrifice fly to center field. A
Bailey Thatcher single plated
Kayla Plastiak to add to the lead in the second, giving GVSU a 4-0 lead. The Rieger two-run blast broke things open in the fourth before a Holmen RBI triple and a
Kelcie LaTour run-scoring single added two more for good measure in the sixth.
Hannah Beatus (W, 2-0) earned her second win in as many outings as she allowed a run on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings of work. Beatus has 21 strikeouts in 14 innings of work this weekend after a pair of complete-game victories.
Game two featured a pitchers' duel as the teams went scoreless through regulation. The Lakers took the lead in the top of the eighth when Goble laced a single into left field to plate the go-ahead run. Lindenwood would answer with a two-out, infield single in the home side before a walk-off single in the tenth.
Ashley Platek (L, 0-2) suffered another tough-luck loss to start her freshman season.
The Lakers have a week off before heading down to Florida for their annual Spring Break trip. GVSULakers.com has the full schedule and links to live stats for all games in the Sunshine State. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter by following @GVSUSoftball.
