#8 Grand Valley State claimed a 9-6 road win at Missouri S&T Friday afternoon. The Lakers improve to 11-1, marking the second-best start in program history (13-1, 2007). Game two of the series will be a 9-inning contest Saturday at 3 p.m. (ET).
Grand Valley State scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first when SS
Evan Morrison and DH
Kaden Howard reached on errors. Morrison and Howard executed a double steal, followed by a ground out RBI off the bat of 3B
Caleb Estrada and CF
Jake Skaggs doubled home Howard.
Morrison doubled with one out in the third, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Howard ground out to up the lead to 3-0.
Missouri S&T scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Lakers came back with one run in the top of the sixth. Howard opened the inning with a walk and later scored on a Skaggs single to left with two outs.
2B
Ayden VanEnkevort walked with two outs in the top of the seventh and Morrison singled. Howard walked to load the bases and 1B
Jovan Gill provided a 3-run double to left center to up the Laker advantage to 7-2.
The Miners scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth to pull within one run, but the Lakers added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Morrison singled on the first pitch in the top of the ninth and later scored on a 2-out single to left by Estrada. Skaggs continued the inning with his fourth hit of the day, a single to right on a full count that scored Estrada from second.
Senior
Collin Bradley improved to 3-0 on the year, yielding two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings pitched with two strikeouts. Senior
Ethan Houghtaling picked up his first save of the season, yielding just one hit with four strikeouts in 2.0 innings.
Skaggs led the offense, going 4-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles, while Gill was 1-for-5 with a two-out, bases loaded double that plated three runs. Morrison was 3-for-5 with four runs scored and Howard was 0-2 with three walks and three runs scored. Estrada was 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
