May 5, 2010

Midland, Mich. - Grand Valley State enters the 2010 GLIAC Softball Tournament on Friday (May 7) as the #7 seed, as the Lakers will take on second-seeded Ashland in the opening round of play. The tournament, being held at Emerson Park in Midland, Mich., is a double-elimination format, as GVSU will play a pair of games on Friday. Grand Valley State and Ashland will square off in the early set of games on Friday morning, kicking off the tournament with a 10:00 a.m. start.

After the GLIAC regular season was completed on Sunday, the field was set for the conference tournament. The Lakers finished the season with a 22-24 record and were 10-16 in GLIAC play. GVSU's opponent, Ashland, ended the year with a 33-11 record and a 20-6 mark in the conference, finishing as the league runner-up to Wayne State. When the two teams played on April 17 in Allendale, Ashland won both games, 8-1 and 9-1. GVSU and Ashland met in last year's conference tournament, with the Eagles pulling out a 3-2 victory.

Here is the schedule for Friday's (May 7) opening day of the 2010 GLIAC Softball Tournament:

10:00 a.m. - Game 1 - #2 Ashland vs. #7 Grand Valley State

10:00 a.m. - Game 2 - #3 Northwood vs. #6 Saginaw Valley State

12:00 p.m. - Game 3 - #4 Ferris State vs. #5 Tiffin

12:00 p.m. - Game 4 - #1 Wayne State vs. #8 Hillsdale

2:00 p.m. - Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

2:00 p.m. - Game 6 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

4:00 p.m. - Game 7 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

4:00 p.m. - Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

The tournament continues on Saturday and Sunday (May 8-9) with five games on Saturday and the possibility of two games on Sunday. Grand Valley State, regardless of a win or a loss in its game against Ashland, will play either Northwood or Saginaw Valley State on Friday afternoon at either 2:00 or 4:00 p.m.