EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a stunning turn of events, the Grand Valley State softball 2022 season came to a sudden end Friday (May 20) with a 3-2 loss to the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in the NCAA Midwest Super Regional game two to drop the best-of-three series. The Lakers season ends at 43-8 and includes a fifth straight GLIAC regular season title and two wins shy of an unprecedented third straight College World Series appearance.
 
The Lakers led 2-0 in the seventh inning with two outs and the bases empty, on the verge of forcing a decisive game three when USI rallied for three runs on the back of a walk, hit batter, three singles and a Laker error to take the lead for good.
 
The Lakers jumped in front with a run in the third inning on a squeeze bunt by Taylor Rieger to push Joanna Cirrincione across the plate. They'd get an insurance run in the sixth on a deep sacrifice fly by Kelsey Komorous, but the two runs would not be enough.
 
Rieger, Samantha Gehrls, Bailey Thatcher and Janalee Lyke saw their storied careers come to a close with the loss, all four making a pair of trips to the Women's College World Series with two Midwest Region titles and winning four GLIAC regular season championships and three tournament crowns.