Lakers drop two in regionals, end season at 37-16

Emanuel Johnson

After a promising three-win start to the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament, the No. 20 Grand Valley State University baseball team dropped two straight against No. 11 Southern Indiana University, ending its season.

The Lakers (37-16) entered the Sunday tournament with a primary focus on winning the first game, and the team did just that with a 6-3 victory over Ashland University. But after a 7-1 win over Northern Kentucky University and a 6-3 win over Southern Indiana, the Lakers faltered.

In a second game against Southern Indiana, the Lakers actually out-hit the Screaming Eagles 12-9, but those hits did not translate into more runs. That lack of run production, along with four fielding errors, led to a 7-3 Laker loss.
The loss forced a third game with the Southern Indiana, a game in which the Screaming Eagles played up to their rank. The Lakers committed four fielding errors for the second straight game and were outhit 14-6. An 11-4 final score dialed up the end of the team’s season.

The Lakers will see four seniors leave the team this season. Pitchers Matt Cade and Brad Raj, as well as second baseman Kyle Gendron and first baseman Cory Maguire each saw their Laker careers end along with the team’s tournament hopes.