#7 Grand Valley State (40-8, 19-4 GLIAC) swept a GLIAC doubleheader at home versus Parkside Friday afternoon. The Lakers clinched the GLIAC regular season title with a 2-0 win in game one, then hit the 40-win mark with a 7-5 walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth in game two. Grand Valley State captured the 22
nd GLIAC title in program history. GVSU will go for the series sweep Saturday at 12 noon. Seventeen Laker seniors will be honored prior to the game at 11:25.
Game 1
The Lakers pushed across the only run they would need in the bottom of the first with two outs. 1B
Jovan Gill doubled to left and 3B
Caleb Estrada singled to right to plate Gill. GVSU added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth. CF
Jake Skaggs led the inning off with a single to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. LF
Will Bowen moved Skaggs to third with a sac bunt and C
Nick Krstich plated Skaggs with a sacrifice fly to right.
Starting pitcher
Owen Avery improved to 8-1 on the year with the combined win shutout. Avery yielded just two hits and struck out seven in 6.0 innings of work.
Ethan Houghtaling picked up his fifth save of the year with a clean seventh inning.
Gill was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored, while Estrada was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Skaggs was 1-for-3 with a run scored and Krstich tallied an RBI.
Game 2
The Lakers scored two in the bottom of the eighth and then four in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win. Trailing 5-1, CF
Ayden VanEnkevort opened the eighth with a single, followed by back-to-back doubles by Gill and Estrada to pull GVSU within two (5-3). Pinch hitter
Nolan Alvord walked to open the ninth, 2B
Kaden Howard singled Alvord to third and SS
Evan Morrison walked to load the bases with no outs. VanEnkevort and Gill produced plated two runs with sacrifice flies to tie the game and Estrada then hit a bomb over the left field wall on the first pitch he saw for a 2-run home run and the walk-off win
GVSU tied the game at 1-1 with a single run in the bottom of the fourth. RF
Josh Fleming tripled to left with two outs and Skaggs followed with a 2-out single to right, but that was all GVSU was able to get going through seven innings of action. Parkside scored one in third and two in each of the fifth and sixth innings to take a 5-1 lead into the eighth.
Estrada was 2-for-5 with a home run, double and three RBI, while Gill was 1-of-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Skaggs was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Howard was 2-for-2 with a run scored. VanEnkevort was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Freshman
Michael Giroux picked up the first win of his career with a hitless top of ninth.
Edward Konow was able to keep the Lakers close with two innings of scoreless relief.
Jackson Kees got the start on the mound, yielding three runs on four hits in 4.1 innings, while
JJ Manion went 1.2 innings.