May 12, 2005

Box Score

Detroit, Mich. - Grand Valley State staged an amazing comeback and went on to claim a 12-11 victory in 11 innings over Saginaw Valley State in the opening game of the GLIAC Tournament. GVSU (29-14) advances to Friday's winners bracket game at 10 a.m. versus Findlay.

3B Scott Allen walked to open the 11th and moved to second on a sac bunt by CF Brandon McFarland. SVSU intentionally walked C Nick Smith and RF Nick Sandy singled deep to shortstop to load the bases. 1B Chad Rohacs came to bat with the game on the line and on a 3-1 count Cardinal pitcher Steve Schlaff hit Rohacs to plate Allen and move the Lakers into the winners bracket game.

GVSU trailed by eight runs twice in the contest. Saginaw Valley State scored eight runs on four hits and four Laker errors in the top of the fourth to take an 8-0 lead. The Lakers were able to get two runs back in the bottom of the fifth when DH Drew Wippich reached on an error and advanced to second. LF Pat Radde drove in Wippich with a triple to center and Radde then scored on a Lee VanStreain groundout. Saginaw Valley pushed its lead back to eight with two more runs in the sixth. The GVSU comeback started in the bottom half of the sixth when Allen drew a leadoff walk. McFarland fouled out to the catcher and N. Smith singled to center. Sandy advanced Allen and N. Smith with a groundout to shortstop. Rohacs, Wippich and Radde tallied three straight run-scoring singles to pull the Lakers with five (10-5). Van Streain reached after being hit by a pitch and 2B Nate Secor launched a grand slam over the 375 mark in right field into a brisk wind to pull the Lakers within one (10-9). GVSU tied the game in the bottom of the ninth when Allen again walked and advanced to third on a single by McFarland. N. Smith's sac fly scored Allen and the game went into extra frames.

SVSU took an 11-10 lead in the top of the 10th, but the Lakers would not go away. Rohacs reached first on a wild pitch after a third strike and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Clay Ackerman. VanStreain then came through with the biggest hit of his young college career when he singled in Rohacs with a shot back up the middle to set up the 11th inning comeback win.

Joe Finnerty (3-2) picked up the win with a hitless 11th. Jeremy Dow lasted 3.1 innings, yielding eight unearned runs on five hits. Dow struckout three and walked one. Jeff Sinicki tossed two-thirds of an inning and Sean McLeod surrendered two runs on four hits in two innings. Nathan McCrory was stellar in relief, yielding one unearned run on two hits in 3.2 innings. Secor was 1-5 with four RBIs, all on his grand slam in the sixth. Scott Allen was 1-3 with three walks and three runs scored. McFarland was 2-5, while Drew Wippich turned in a 2-4 performance with two runs and an RBI. Pat Radde drove in two runs and scored two runs with two hits. Nick Smith was also 2-4 with a run and an RBI. VanStreain was 1-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. GVSU scored 12 runs, 11 of which were earned, on 13 hits, but committed seven errors that led to 10 unearned runs for the Cardinals.