No. 14 GVSU softball picked up two more wins at the THE Spring Games on Tuesday afternoon (March 5) when they took down Northern State 6-1 and Stonehill 9-0. The Lakers are now 8-2 on the season heading into their day off on Wednesday. They will resume play with doubleheaders on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before returning to Allendale. 

The Lakers tallied just two hits in their win over Northern State but one of them was a big one as senior Kaylie Rhynard blasted a grand slam over the left field fence in the fourth inning. Game two against Stonehill was a hit parade as the Lakers tallied 16 hits as six different Lakers tallied two or more hits while nine got in on the action with at least one. 

Allison Lipovsky and Hannah Beatus were once again the two arms in the circle for the Lakers as they improved to 5-0 and 3-2 on the year, respectively. Lipovksy tossed a complete game two-hitter where she struck out a season-high 15 compared to just two walks against Northern State. The Wolves were the first team to tag Lipovsky with an earned run this season. Beatus then followed that up with a complete game shutout, striking out nine and walking none while allowing just four hits. 

In all, the Lakers outhit their opponents 18-6 and outscored them 15-1.

Game One vs. Northern State (W, 6-1)

The Lakers would manage a season-low two hits in the contest but once again one of those two was a clutch grand slam from Rhynard. The winning run would come from freshman Lydia Goble in the third inning however, as she would race home on a wild pitch after making her way to third thanks to an error and another wild pitch. 

REPLAY | Grand Valley State vs Northern State

Just like she did the day before, Lipovsky came out firing and struck out the side in the top of the first inning before tallying two more in the second. Her strikeout streak was ended with an inning-ending lineout in the top of frame two. The Lakers would get their first baserunner of the day in the bottom of two but couldn't push them across.

Luckily, Lipovsky kept rolling, striking out two more in the third to bring her total to seven in just three innings of work. Goble would score the first run of the game after three straight Wolf errors with two outs would allow her to make it all the way around for the 1-0 lead. Two more K's would be added to Lipovsky's total in the fourth before Rhynard would deliver her 4-RBI bomb to put the Lakers up six in the bottom of the fourth. Prior to Rhynards blast, freshman Morgan Wagner would deliver an RBI groundout that put the Lakers up two.

Lipovsky would give up her first run of the season after issuing two straight walks to start the fifth before a two-out single to center would push across what would be an inconsequential run. Four more K's in the final two innings would give the righty a season-high 15 punchouts. 

Game Two vs. Stonehill (W, 9-0)

While the Lakers would rack up the hits in this one, they led just 3-0 heading into the top of the seventh but a huge six-run inning would give them the lopsided victory. 

REPLAY | Grand Valley State vs Stonehill

The scoring would get started in the first when Flaherty knocked a one-out single to left field and advanced to second on a fielder's choice error off the bat of Kelcie LaTour. Sophomore Bailey Thatcher would then deliver and RBI knock to left to score Flaherty before a pair of flyouts would end any other Laker threat.

Beatus rolled through the bottom of the second to send the Lakers back up to bat where they would score another run off a Nikoma Holmen double that scored Rhynard who raced home all the way from first. Both pitchers would hit a groove over the next two and a half innings and quiet things down.

In the top of the fifth however, freshman Brooke Henning would lace a two-out double down the right field line before scoring on an error by the first baseman who couldn't handle the ball off the bat of Flaherty.

Beatus would allow just two more hits all game but the Lakers would make sure to add six insurance runs in the top of the seventh as they exploded for seven hits. Rieger started things off with a bunt single before scoring off the bat of Flaherty after a Holmen single to left. LaTour and Thatcher then knocked back to back RBI singles that scored a pinch-running Madelyn Nelson and Flaherty. Rhynard was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Rachel Terwilliger before Rieger singled to right to bring in Goble and Thatcher.

Rhynard led the offense in the two games, going 2-6 with five RBI's and two runs scored while Rieger was 3-7 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Goble finished up 2-7 with three runs scored and Thatcher also drove in two runs on a 2-4 day to go with her one run scored.