The Grand Valley State baseball team swept Sioux Falls Wednesday (March 9) in two seven-inning games to improve to 7-1 on the season. The Lakers won game one 7-5, and game two 6-5 after trailing by five runs.
 
Game One (W, 7-5): Kyle Nott scored off a wild pitch in the top of the first inning to give the Lakers the early lead. Sioux Falls responded in the bottom half of the inning by bringing across two runs on a 2-RBI single up the middle. Sioux Falls would add another run in the second inning on a bunt single to give them a 3-1 lead. 
 
The Lakers would tie the game at three in the top of the third. Christian Faust singled to left field to score Spencer Nelson. The next batter, Kyle Nott scored on a wild pitch. Justin Mansager put the Lakers back on top in the fifth inning off a 2-RBI single up the middle to score Cade Stanton and Nathan Logan to make it 5-3 GVSU. Later in the inning, Spencer Nelson hit a 2-RBI single up the middle to double the Laker lead at 7-3. Sioux Falls would add two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lakers would close it out in seven innings.
 
Nick Rutkowski got the start in game one and earned his first win of the season. Rutkowski went five innings allowing three runs (0 earned) off five hits, while striking out five batters. Allan Thorington pitched the final two innings and earned his first save of the season. 
 
The Laker offense scored seven runs on 11 hits. Kyle Nott and Nathan Logan each went 2-3. Nott scored two runs and Logan scored one run for the Lakers. Nelson and Mansager each batted in two runs and scored once. 
 
Game Two (W, 6-5): Sioux Falls jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning off a bases loaded walk and an RBI groundout. Both teams would be held off the scoreboard the next three innings. In the top of the fifth, Sioux Falls scored three runs to increase their lead to 5-0. 
 
In the bottom half of the fifth, Spencer Nelson got the Lakers on the board with a 2-RBI single with two outs and the bases loaded. After a Kyle Nott walk to the load back the bases, Christian Faust tied the game off a bases clearing double. The next batter, Nathan Logan doubled of the left field wall to give the Lakers their first lead of the game. Logan Wynalda kept Sioux Falls off the board in the sixth and seventh inning to secure the comeback win for the Lakers.
 
Mark Scannell started on the mound for GVSU and earned the win (1-0). Scannell went 5.0 IP allowing five earned runs off seven hits. Wynalda earned his first save of the season allowing only two hits, while striking out five. 
 
Christian Faust went 1-3 with a double and three RBI's and a run scored, while Spencer Nelson went 1-3 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Logan batted 1-3 with an RBI double that would end up being the game winning RBI. Kyle Nott hit 1-2 with a run scored, and Cade Stanton chipped in a hit for the Lakers. Justin Ratliff, Justin Mansager, and Carter Rohman each scored a run.
 
The Lakers will play Augustana tomorrow (March 10) in a one nine-inning game at Lake Myrtle Sports Park at 6 pm. Before the start of that game, the two teams will resume the game that got rain delayed Monday night. The game will be resumed in the bottom of the eighth inning with Augustana having a runner on third with no outs. Visit gvsulakers.com to follow live stats and follow @gvsubaseball on Twitter for live in-game updates.