March 5, 2009

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. - Freshman Cody Grice plated three runs and senior Casey Robrahn went 4-for-5 as the No. 5 Lakers defeated the Tampa Spartans 11-4 at the UT Baseball Field on Thursday. As a team, the Lakers hit around and all but two batters managed at least one hit.

Senior Andre Benjamin gave up five hits and four runs through seven innings to improve his record to 2-0. He struck out four and walked five, but steadied impressively after struggling early. Grice finished the day 3-of-5 with three runs batted in and another scored. Robrahn added a run scored to his 4-for-5 day.

The Spartans registered their first run in the bottom half of the opening frame. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases and a third walk brought home a runner before Benjamin struck out Dagmar Pena to end the threat. Grand Valley State tied the game in the top of the third inning. Grice led off the frame with a triple to the wall in right-center field and then came home when senior Matt Nickels grounded out to second base.

Benjamin held the Spartans without a hit until the fourth inning, but Tampa made its first hit count. Garrett Maines drove Benjamin's 2-1 offering into the netting in left-center field with a man on first, making the score 3-1.

The Lakers took the lead for the first time in the top of the fifth inning. Nickels walked with one out and then senior Bobby Walmsley pounded a first-pitch strike off the wall in right-center field for an RBI-double. Walmsley stole third base during the next at-bat, and when the throw from home when past the third baseman, the senior catcher took home plate and tied the score. With senior Josh Hillyard on third base and junior Cory Maguire manning second base, senior Ben Knuth hit a shot down the left-field line that scored two runs and put GVSU up 5-3.

GVSU tacked on a run in the top of the sixth inning to make it 6-3. Nickels walked with two outs and then stole second base with Walmsley at the plate. The senior outfielder scored on a hit deep in the hole at second base, and then Walmsley went to second after the throw home missed the mark. Robrahn singled to lead off the seventh inning and then went to second on a wild pitch. He scored when Maguire hit one back to the pitcher, who promptly threw the ball away while attempting to go to first for the out. Maguire then scored on a single by junior Kyle Gendron, and Gendron eventually came around on a single by Grice to make the score 9-3.

After the Spartans scored in the bottom half of the seventh, Grice plated two more runs with a single up the middle. Both senior Dan Anstedt and Gendron scored on the play to conclude the scoring at 11-4.