The Lakers pitching staff dominated the Panthers, winning game one 10-1 and game two 2-1 with the help of sophomore pitcher Navaeh Ingram and senior pitcher Ashley Platek.

“I thought our pitching was excellent on both sides of it,” said Lakers’ Head Coach Dana Callihan.

Ingram, who has appeared in six games prior and gave up just six combined runs in those appearances, put up yet another strong performance. This time against the Panthers, she allowed just one earned run and two hits in six innings of play.

Ingram is third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in ERA at 1.39, sitting behind two teammates: freshman Kylie Swierkos (0.69) and senior Genesis Eggart (1.21). 

Ingram is allowing less than half as many runs on average compared to last season (2.94).

“From the offseason, all the work that myself, as well as the team, has put in has really helped not only our hitters but also me as well,” Ingram said.

After scoreless play in the first inning and top of the second, Ingram accounted for a run of her own and an RBI in the second inning. Her single got the scoring started for the Lakers, bringing home senior third baseman Megan Koenigshof. This was the start of a five-point GVSU scoring barrage in the second, highlighted by a Morgan Spicer double that scored all three runners in a bases-loaded scenario.

“It’s fun when we get those bats rolling,” Spicer said. “It allows us to play loose in the field too, giving our pitchers that backup and it’s a great momentum shifter.” 

Spicer ended the game going 3 for 4 with four RBIs and a stolen base. Her fourth RBI came in the sixth where GVSU had another five-run inning.

GVSU ended with a 10-1 victory, as Ingram allowed a home run as the only score she gave up during the game.

The second game of the afternoon was much closer, as the scoring slowed down and the Lakers had to sweat out a 2-1 win.

Platek made her eighth appearance in the circle for the Lakers and struck out three of the four batters she faced in the first inning. This was the start of a dominant pitching performance where Platek allowed just one run across all seven innings of play.

Starting the batting for the Lakers was a bunt single from senior left fielder Hannah Hollister, who then advanced to third on a single from junior shortstop Morgan Spicer. Spicer moved to second after an errant throw from the outfield. Moments later, Spicer and Hollister scored on a double from junior first baseman Kelsey Komorous.

Both teams came out empty-handed in the next handful of innings until Davenport freshman catcher Liv Regenfuss doubled to start the fifth inning. Regenfuss then advanced on a bunt and scored on an infield groundout by senior designated player Kaylee Loehr who made it a one-run game, 2-1.

From there on out, Platek and the Lakers finished the remainder of the game without allowing another run, winning a narrow 2-1 game.

“I love that we have not reached our full potential yet. I know that once we get it goin’ we’re gonna just keep on rolling, it’s scary,” Spicer said. “Right now, everything’s not clicking, but once we get it going there’s huge huge potential.”

Callihan believes that although her squad has plenty of inexperienced players who are still developing, the team’s potential excites her moving forward.

“The intensity, the passion, the drive, the selflessness. I mean, there’s a lot of things, off the field, that people don’t see that is really good about this team,” Callihan said.

GVSU hits the road on Wednesday, April 10 to face the Wayne State University Warriors at 3:30 p.m. before coming back home to play rival Ferris State University on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m.

GVSU won one game of a doubleheader with the Lewis University Flyers 8-5 and lost the second game 2-1 on Wednesday, March 27. Following those games, the Lakers and head coach Dana Callihan hoped for two complete victories on Friday, March 29.

Callihan said that after Wednesday’s game against Lewis, the Lakers focused on “adjusting to what the pitchers are throwing so we can start executing better and getting some more runs on the board.”

Game one was a pitching duel from the get go. Lakers freshman pitcher Kylie Swierkos got the start in the circle  and did not allow a hit in the first two innings of play. She was matched by Bulldogs junior pitcher Aryn Gallacher, who was just as dominant.

After two empty innings, Ferris State got the scoring going in the third, scoring the first run of the game on an error by the Lakers to take a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs went up 2-0 later in the inning off of an RBI single to center field.

It took until the sixth inning for the Lakers to plate a run, where sophomore right fielder Jenna Ballard knocked a two-out single to left field to drive in senior outfielder Hannah Hollister to pull the Lakers within one.

Swierkos pitched a one, two, three bottom of the sixth, giving the Lakers a chance to even the score up in the top of the seventh. After a one-out Liberti Fair single in the seventh, the Lakers could not string any scoring together, losing the first matchup of the doubleheader 2-1.

After struggling in game one, GVSU junior shortstop Morgan Spicer knew that both her and her team needed to stay focused going into the second matchup.

“We have to keep a short term memory, wiping the slate clean and stay positive,” Spicer said. “Even though we struggled, knowing we can go in there and attack the next pitches in front of us and being confident (is important).”

Doing just that, Spicer and the Lakers strung some hits together in the fourth inning when she hit a two-out single to right. Flair followed that up with a monster double to left center, driving in Spicer who scored standing up from first base.

Lakers’ starting pitcher for game two, senior Genesis Eggart, battled in the bottom half of the inning as the Bulldogs loaded the bases with one-out. Eggart pitched her way out of the jam, keeping the Lakers up by one.

In the fifth inning the Lakers bats stayed hot. Hollister laid down a bunt with one out and beat the throw to first base. The next batter, senior third baseman Megan Koeningshof, singled to advance Hollister. This was followed by a Ballard infield single that loaded the bases. But, like the Bulldogs, the Lakers left the bases loaded and failed to capitalize.

This opened the door for Ferris State to even things up in the bottom of the sixth. There, a Bulldogs’ single scored an unearned run that tied the game 1-1.

Neither team scored in the seventh as Eggart retired all three of the Bulldogs’ hitters in order to send the game to extra innings.

Spicer got her third hit of the game in the top of the eighth. She launched a lead off triple to right field to get into scoring position with no outs. She was driven home two batters later when sophomore second baseman MaryJane Goodman singled up the middle to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead.

Eggart, who dominated all afternoon, came back out in the bottom of the eighth to close out the Bulldogs. This secured a 2-1 Lakers win. She threw 127 pitches in the outing.

After a dominant performance from Eggart, Spicer said the team needs to do a better job at giving their pitchers run support.

“Our pitchers have played phenomenal and it was nice to give them that back up in the second game,” Spicer said. “I think moving forward we have to do a better job of getting things moving in the entire lineup to give them better backup out there.” 

Callihan said she was happy the Lakers pulled out game two, but she agrees the Lakers need to play better if they want to accomplish their season goals.

“We left the door open for them today, we have to learn how to finish these types of games,” Callihan said. “We just have to put all the pieces together and we didn’t do that to the level that we needed to today to win both. But we will keep working on it”.

The Lakers will play their 2024 home opener on Thursday, April 2 against Hillsdale College with first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 3 p.m. at the GVSU Softball Field in Allendale, Michigan.

After almost a two week break, the Lakers took on their first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe of the season and handled business. GVSU 11-5 in the first game and shutout the Pride for a 4-0 victory in the second. 

Although the first two innings of game one were scoreless, there was certainly no lack of action. Multiple bases were stolen by GVSU runners, including senior left fielder Hannah Hollister. In the doubleheader Hollsiter had two hits, three stolen bases, an RBI and two runs scored. 

“I was really happy with the whole team effort and us putting runs across early,” Hollister said. “We were really happy with how we attacked the pitches.”

After a slow start, GVSU started to get things going in the third inning. Hollister would be the first to bat and was walked. This is where the floodgates opened up and the hits began to pour in for the Lakers. After a single by junior first baseman Kelsey Komorous, Hollister scored to take a 1-0 lead. 

It was just the start of an offensive onslaught that gave the Lakers control of the game. They scored seven total runs in the third inning, with the help of junior shortstop Morgan Spicer’s single to right field that accounted for two RBIs.

The Lakers added four more runs to the Pride’s five, but GVSU’s massive third helped them to a dominant 11-5 win in the first game of the doubleheader. 

In the second game, GVSU seemed to pick up right where they left off. Hollister kicked the game off with a single to the left, getting across home a few batters later after an error by the Pride to open up the scoring. 

While GVSU still provided consistent run support during the second game, freshman starting pitcher Kylie Swierkos and the Lakers defense made a major difference in the shutout.

“Our pitching did really well today keeping them off,” said GVSU head coach Dana Callihan.

The second inning was scoreless for both sides, However in the third the scoring resumed for GVSU. With the bases loaded for the Lakers, Komorous advanced to first on a fielder’s choice, which resulted in freshman pinch runner Kenedy Coombe scoring.

With a 2-0 lead, GVSU added two runs in the fifth and final inning, getting five different batters on base. A double by Spicer scored junior catcher Liberti Fair, with sophomore center fielder Eliana Eiland coming home on an error shortly after. 

The fifth inning became the dagger as neither team scored for the remaining two innings. GVSU would win 4-0 and start conference play 2-0. 

“It’s good to be back on the field,” Callihan said. “We were a little rusty in a few things, but for the most part I thought we played pretty well. (We) took advantage of their mistakes and made things happen offensively.”

The Lakers will gear up to face Lewis University in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 27 at 2 p.m. in Romeoville, Illinois. They will then travel to Big Rapids, Michigan for a doubleheader against Ferris State University on Friday, March 29 at 2 p.m.

The Grand Valley State University softball team reached the National Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee after an incredible run in the regular and postseasons. The Lakers impressed with a 48-8 record overall and an incredible 20-1 record in conference play. The Lakers softball team did not lose a game at home (12-0).

After battling their way through the postseason, the Lakers approached the National Championship Series on an eight game winning streak, falling in two straight of a best-of-three to North Georgia.

Head Coach Dana Callihan has tallied an impressive 352-96 (0.789) record in her nine seasons. Callihan earned her sixth straight Coach of the Year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC). Eleven of her players earned All GLIAC accolades.

Redshirt Senior Lydia Goble won GLIAC Player of the Year while her fellow Redshirt Senior Hannah Beatus was awarded her third straight conference Pitcher of the Year.

Men’s and Women’s track and field finish strong in nationals 

The GVSU men’s and women’s track and field teams both reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship games. The Lakers men finished in fourth place while the Lakers women finished fifth overall. The two squads had athletes that earned some national recognition and impressed along the way.

The Lakers’ Taryn Chapko (800m), Klaudia O’Malley (1500m) and Natalie Graber (5000m) all finished in the women’s top eight of their respective categories. 

Myles Kerner reached third in the men’s shot put while Eli Kosiba and Jonathan Rankins-James, both high jumpers, placed in the top ten as well. Kosiba finished fifth and Rankins-James finished seventh.

For the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships the Lakers did not disappoint. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the day was Kosiba finishing fourth in the high jump against 18 of the top high jumpers in the country, regardless of collegiate or professional standing. Rankins-James placed at 12 among the same group of 18.

Women’s Lacrosse program climbs to new heights 

After a dominant 16-5 season (6-0 in conference) the GVSU Lakers’ Women’s Lacrosse team reached the NCAA Final Four in the program’s first season having ever won their region. The Lakers defeated Indianapolis in the Midwest Regional Finals 11-10 to advance to the NCAA Final Four.

The team boasted three First Team All Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Midwest Region honorees as well as four Second Team players in their run to the Final Four. The seven total Lakers also received various levels of All GLIAC recognition following the regular season.

One of the Lakers’ First Team Midwest Region players, Maddy Bursinger, was named GLIAC Midfielder of the Year. Fellow First Teamer Maddy Champagne was awarded with GLIAC Attacker of the Year.

Grand Valley State University’s tennis teams are both in the win columns after successful outings on the road against Davenport University (March 31) and at home against Purdue Northwest the following evening.

The women’s team is now 11-5 with the men’s record improving to 10-6 after snapping their five-match losing streak and shaking off a rough March schedule that featured zero wins by the men’s side.

March 31 consisted of both GVSU team’s defeating the Panthers 5-2, as the team’s beat PNW 6-1 (women’s) and 4-3 (men’s).

The women’s only loss against PNW last Saturday was the No. 2 doubles matchup for freshman Rachel Sam and sophomore Estefania Hernandez (5-7) as both players and their teammates cleaned house in the singles matchups (6-0) and wrapped up the remaining two doubles matchups in their favor (2-0).

For the men’s side, a much closer battle took place as the six singles matchups were split between the teams (3-3) with the overall match coming down to the Lakers taking two of the three doubles matchups (2-1) to take the victory.

Both teams will host Ferris State University at home April 8 starting at 5 p.m.

Track and field participate in long week of action

GVSU’s track and field program was on the road this past week as the teams split up to take on opponents in various meets, including the Texas Relays, Bobcat Invitational, the Spartan Invite and the Vert Klasse Meeting.

The first two of the four meets listed began March 30 and stretched into April 1, with the other two invites consisting of single day events on March 31 (Spartan Invite) and April 1 (Vert Klasse Meeting).

The full lists of results of the Laker performances can be located at gvsulakers.com

Women’s rugby back home next weekend

GVSU’s women’s rugby club will continue their spring campaign as they host the GVSU Classic next weekend.

The team will play Apr. 8 at Rec Field #1, with the GVSU Alumni Game a few weeks after on April 22 at the same field location.

More information relating to the club’s scheduled matches and more can be found on the club’s page at gvsu.edu/clubsports.

Softball doubleheader canceled after Midwest storm

Due to the inclement weather the Midwest region of the country experienced over the weekend, GVSU softball had their second doubleheader of the season canceled that was initially scheduled against Lewis University March 29.

Barring any other cancellations or postponements, the team is looking forward to getting back into action with a heavy slate ahead of them: a doubleheader at home against Ferris State (Apr. 3) starting at 3 p.m., on the road in a doubleheader against Davenport Apr. 7 starting at 3 p.m. and another road doubleheader against Saginaw Valley Apr. 8 with a 1 p.m. start time for the first of two games.

After opening their spring season with a victory in the Augustana Spring Fling March 9-10, the Grand Valley State University women’s golf team finished in seventh place in the UF Spring Invite with a score of 930 (+66).

The Augustana win featured seven teams in total as the Lakers would finish 16 strokes ahead of second place (Augustana-SD) with their final scorecard tallying 596 points. Sophomore Olivia Stoll (equal to par) led her team with the individual title victory, followed by sophomores Paula Badino (tied fourth, +6), Julia Sanchez (tied sixth, +7), Megan Miron (tied ninth, +8) and junior Kay Zubkus making her 2022-23 season debut with a three-way tie finish for 14th overall (+10).

March 20-21 consisted of the UF Invite as 18 teams fought for the title. Although a far different outcome than the one previous, all five Lakers managed to place in the top-40 of 95 golfers: Sanchez (tied 11th, +10), Stoll (tied 26th, +19), Miron (tied 30th, +20), Badino (tied 38th, +23) and Zubkus tying for 40th place (+24).

GVSU will hope to rebound as they travel out of state to play in the North Georgia Event April 3-4.

Men’s lacrosse club open up home action

GVSU men’s lacrosse club is one of many spring sports looking to add a potential conference, regional and even national title to their history books as the team is heading home to Allendale to continue spring ball.

However, the team is still feeling the effects of the global shutdown after all this time. Prior to their last two home games March 24 and 26, the team had only played one home game in 1,453 days. 

With that, the victory against the University of Dayton made it that much sweeter for the Lakers to be back on their home pitch and continue their illustrious play for the 2023 spring campaign. Just four games remain in their schedule, with two of those matches being at home this week.

The Lakers will host Missouri State University (March 31) and the University of St. Thomas (April 2) in their final home games of the season.

Softball back on the winning side

Women’s softball added their 18th victory of the season after a successful doubleheader against Parkside University that finished 2-0 for the Lakers, placing the team at No. 1 in the GLIAC standings.

March 24 consisted of GVSU shutting out the Rangers in the first game, 10-0, in just six innings, followed by another 10-2 blowout that ended in five innings to add to the excitement of their home-opening weekend. 

GVSU will continue a stretch of home battles as they host two doubleheaders against Lewis University (March 29) at 3 p.m. and Ferris State (April 1) at 1 p.m.

After an extensive break in coverage, many Grand Valley State University sports are finishing their seasons with high and lows while shaking off the rust of lengthy offseasons.

The men’s basketball team lost in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals to Michigan Tech (69-73) led by a near double-double from junior Marius Grazulis (19 points, nine rebounds), finishing their season 18-12 overall.

Both men’s and women’s golf secured invitational victories to begin spring action as the women’s team won the Augustana Spring Fling March 9-10 (+20 over par) and the men’s securing the Buccaneer Classic March 6-7 (-15 under par). Each team will participate in separate invites March 20-21 in the UF Spring Invite (women’s) and the Ralph Hargett Invite (men’s).

Women’s lacrosse is still finding their groove as they are 2-3 in their last five appearances and dropped both of their first two home games of the season against UIndy (12-13, March 12) and Maryville (12-15, March 17).

A huge battle for a national title saw both sides of the swim and dive program finish in the top-15 of the NCAA DII National Championships; men’s (sixth place, 239 points), women’s (14th place, 109 points). Although a disappointing end to the season, the teams were able to secure the GLIAC men’s and women’s titles this season.

The baseball team was almost perfect in the RussMatt Invite (9-1) March 6-12 to open up spring ball. The team’s most recent victory was against Salem University (7-3) March 17 followed by a canceled bout against Mercyhurst the same day.

Prior to two doubleheaders being canceled against Ohio Dominican (March 17) and Cedarville University (March 18), the softball team were also on fire to begin spring action as they finished 10-2 between March 5-11. The team has two doubleheaders scheduled March 25-26 against Parkside and Purdue Northwest respectively for their home opener.

GVSU’s DI hockey club finished their season in the semifinals of the ACHA Men’s 1 2023 National Championships against the No. 4 ranked University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). The Lakers were defeated in a heartbreaking 3-4 overtime loss.

Men’s and women’s tennis have combined for a 1-7 record in a total of eight matches played (four each) between March 6-17 with the women’s team defeating St. Petersburg 4-3.

Last but not least, track and field competed in the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships with the men’s finishing in third place and the women’s sixth place overall. Both teams have started the outdoor season as the Raleigh Relays Invite is up next between March 23-25.

With a five-game slate, the Lakers faced off against Minnesota Duluth (1-0) and Walsh University (9-1) to finish day one (Feb. 24), defeated Truman State (10-2) and William Jewell (2-1) the following day and closed the tournament with a victory against Winona State in a 7-0 shutout.

“Overall I think all the wins have been very gritty wins,” said Head Coach Dana Callihan. “Our offenses definitely weren’t firing on all cylinders yet (and) we’re learning that we have to make adjustments.”

Redshirt senior Hannah Beatus led the charge for GVSU in their season opener against Duluth as she pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts, tallying the program’s 26th no-hitter since the 2000 season.

The lone home run came from redshirt senior Lydia Goble in the bottom of the first inning after Goble hit a triple to set up redshirt senior Morgan Wagner for a single-base hit, allowing Goble to score.

“I’m just super grateful for the eight girls behind me on the field and the other 11 in the dugout,” Beatus said. “Coach Jen is my mentor and someone I put on a pedestal so even being able to learn from her and be on those record books with her – I am just so grateful and honored.”

Just as Callihan mentioned about making adjustments, the game against Walsh was an offensive blowout that featured nine scorers and a defense led by junior pitcher Ashley Platek who allowed just one run out of four-total hits in the game that ended in just five innings.

Day two featured another blowout and a walk-off home run, with GVSU defeating Truman in six innings after their second-consecutive mercy rule victory. The second game against William Jewell went down to the wire, with the underclassmen coming up big for the team to secure their fourth win of the season.

“We’re experimenting with some different lineups, different players in there (since) we have several freshmen in there that have been able to jump in the lineup for us just to see what they can do so we can find out what type of character this team is going to have,” Callihan said.

Sophomore Liberti Fair not only recorded her first career hit, but the at-bat would also lead to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the game 2-1 in a dramatic finish.

“It felt awesome to finally square the ball up! It felt like the whole game our lineup was making solid contact, we were just hitting it right to people,” Fair said. “Our defense did an awesome job holding them to one run. My team played amazing and I am very proud of everyone.”

To wrap up the three-day tournament, the Lakers shut out Winona State on Feb. 26 with six of their seven runs all happening during the sixth inning and finishing the tournament with a commanding 29-4 scoring output against all five opponents combined.

Overall, Callihan said the tournament was a sign of good things to come this season with the team adjusting well to clutch situations, finding their rhythm after slow starts to games and was also appreciative of the sound leadership coming from the upperclassmen.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out with these early games; what is the character of this team?” Callihan said. “With that so far, I have been very, very pleased.”

“I think it shows the leadership and the veterans that we do have on the squad,” Callihan said. “(Our seniors) have done a great job at leading this team through the practice rounds, and that’s why we wanted Hannah on the mound that very first game no matter who we play because she sets the tone. She’s got some confidence and lets everybody know (what she’s capable of) as she sets the tone for the rest of the team. You can see that radiate through the rest of everybody.”

With the tournament behind them, the Lakers will take the week to prepare for spring action as a long stretch of games are right around the corner.

“Tons of positives were taken away from the weekend but also things that we have gotten exposed to and know we need to improve to accomplish the goals we’ve set for ourselves,” Beatus said. “Our performance this weekend is great momentum going into Florida.”

Spring action will begin on the road for GVSU between March 5-11 with the team facing a slate of 12 opponents.

Grand Valley State University selected former women’s volleyball player, Ali Thompson, for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Playing four seasons for the Lakers, the former outside hitter raked in several honors and accolades while maintaining a 3.90 cumulative GPA, including a four-time All-GLIAC player and AVCA All-Region honors while finishing her career with 1,228 digs and 975 kills. 

Thompson was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and graduated from GVSU with a Bachelors in Allied Health Sciences. 

The award winner will be announced in the fall as the selection committee must go through the process of selecting the top-30 athletes (10 athletes each from DI-III), narrowing it down to three athletes from each division, and selecting their winner from the nine finalists. 

No. 4 ranked GVSU Football picked second in preseason poll

As the 2022 season inches closer, the Grand Valley State University men’s football team was selected as second overall in the latest GLIAC Football Preseason Poll.

Falling short to the No. 1 ranked Ferris State in the second round of the 2021 NCAA playoffs, the Lakers are expecting 59 letterwinners, 18 starters, eight All-GLIAC honorees and eight GLIAC Player of the Week honors to return for the upcoming campaign.

Even with the boost coming from a multitude of veteran players, the team is set to face off against a tough schedule that includes two top-three teams and a list of teams with postseason experience. 

The Lakers will kick-off the new season on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at Lubbers Stadium.

161 GV student-athletes receive GLIAC spring academic honors

Springs sports have come to an end, and the GLIAC honored 161 Grand Valley State University student-athletes with All-Academic and Academic Excellence honors.

In order to receive the GLIAC All-Academic honor, student-athletes are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0-3.49, while Academic Excellence team consists of student-athletes that have a cumulative GPA of 3.50-4.0.

The list includes athletes from the baseball, softball, women’s lacrosse, and women’s and men’s golf, tennis and outdoor track & field teams – all of which are a mixture of All-Academic, Academic Excellence and Academic All-GLIAC honors.

With 91 Lakers being named to the GLIAC Academic Excellence list and 70 named All-Academic, the men’s and women’ s track and field teams led the way with 54 Academic Excellence and 40 All-Academic honors.

“I thought we played Laker softball; we got good pitching, we had good defense, we got the bats going and those are the three facets of the game that we’ve done well for the most part and got it done today,” said coach Dana Callihan. 

Redshirt junior pitcher Hannah Beatus led the way for the Lakers in the first of the two games, as she went into the final inning holding a perfect game. However, only needing one more out, she had a wild pitch that allowed a UWP player to advance to first base, losing Beatus her chance for her second perfect game of the season. 

Beatus said that knowing the perfect game was on the line didn’t add any pressure heading into the last inning. 

“You know where you’re at, especially in those situations, and either way (if you get it or don’t), it’s cool,” Beatus said. 

Beatus did end the first game with a no-hitter, her third of the season, helping advance her record to 11-1 when starting in the circle for the Lakers. 

“It’s good (having my third no-hitter), it’s just a testament to how amazing of a pitch caller Morgan (Wagner) is and she’s working at that all the time,” Beatus said. “Our defense (played well) too for eating up ground balls and making plays and getting the job done.”

On the offensive side for the Lakers in game one, senior center fielder Bailey Thatcher went a perfect three for three, scoring two runs and adding an RBI. Redshirt junior catcher Morgan Wagner went three for four at the plate, while also scoring two runs. 

Game two was a slow start for both teams, as GVSU led with a slim 1-0 advantage at the end of the fourth inning. The Lakers broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, where they scored four of their six runs of the latter half of the doubleheader.  

“I think we just got some balls to fall in the holes (in the fifth inning),” Callihan said. “Earlier in the game we were hitting some shots just right at them and they made the defensive plays on it.”

GVSU went on to bring in one more run in the sixth inning, giving them the 6-0 advantage heading into the final inning before once again holding the Rangers scoreless in the second game of the doubleheader.

Wagner helped lead the way again in the second game, finishing with two hits and two RBIs. Sophomore third baseman Megan Koenigshof went two for three at the plate, adding a run and an RBI in the victory.

The six-game winning streak comes after dropping two games the previous week — one to Ferris State University and the other to Purdue University Northwest.

“I think we’re just playing with confidence, we have some swag, we are doing the little things right and once you can do those things and combine them all together, then good things will happen,” Beatus said.

Looking ahead, GVSU will host Saginaw Valley State University (18-10) on April 9 to continue their GLIAC schedule.