April 27, 2008
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Allendale, Mich. -
Mercyhurst freshman Nick Gillung kept the Grand Valley State offense off balance and senior Josh Schmidt drove in four runs as the Lakers notched a 9-3 win in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, picking up a split on the day.
Mercyhurst fell 12-6 in game one despite a three-RBI performance from freshman Jonathan Keppler, who hit his first career homer in the game. But the win in game two gave Mercyhurst its first win at Grand Valley State since 1998--a span of 12 games.
Gillung (2-0) allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings and managed to strike out six while walking one. Senior James Ludwig notched his fourth save of the year by pitching the final two innings.
Mercyhurst drew first blood in the first inning when Keppler scored on a passed ball. The lead grew in the third when senior Dan Bertolini drove in Schmidt with an RBI single. Schmidt then plated two runs with a single of his own in the fourth to give the Lakers a 4-0 edge.
Gillung kept Grand Valley State off the board and surrendered just three hits through the first four innings. But in the fifth, Grand Valley State scored three on four hits, but Gillung worked his way out of the inning and kept Mercyhurst in front.
The Lakers picked up five-runs of insurance in the seventh on RBI singles from Greg Turk, Adam Schlessel and Craig Denman and an RBI double by Schmidt.
Denman and Bertolini eached finished with two hits and Schmidt went 3-for-4.
It was Grand Valley State, though, in game one that took control early. The home team pounded Laker starter John Mang for 11 runs, five of which were earned in first four innings.
Mercyhurst still managed six runs, and three came on one swing of Keppler's bat in the third.
The Lakers improved to 23-21 overall and 9-15 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) with the split. Grand Valley State moves to 27-11 overall and 13-7 in the conference.
The two teams finish the four-game series Sunday afternoon beginning at 12 p.m.
