After the doubleheader scheduled for Friday, April 6, with Davenport was cancelled due to inclement weather, the Grand Valley State softball team fought through frigid weather conditions and swept Purdue Northwest on the road in a doubleheader Saturday, April 7, winning the first game 8-0 and the second game 1-0.

Despite below-freezing wind chill and frigid temperatures, the GVSU softball team dominated Purdue Northwest. The Lakers didn’t even allow the Pride to score a run on their own home softball diamond, an impressive feat that GVSU made look easy this weekend.

Even with the winter-like weather conditions, the bats came alive for the Lakers right from the get-go. A pair of singles from second baseman Taylor Rieger and first baseman Kelcie LaTour helped the Lakers hop out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and they never looked back from there.

Three more runs were scored by the Lakers in the following inning. Left fielder Bailey Thatcher got everything going with a lead-off single before being brought home on a double by third baseman Teagan Shomin. Designated hitter Nikoma Holmen then singled in Shomin before she scored herself off a double from LaTour.

The GVSU offense did not stop there, as they scored two more runs over the next three innings to win the first game of the day after five innings due to the mercy rule. Right fielder Brooke Henning led the team with three hits in the game, in addition to stealing a base in the contest.

Allison Lipovsky kept her dominant 2018 campaign going, as she pitched a complete game, allowing zero runs and only one hit on the day. The Pride didn’t stand a chance at the plate, with Lipovsky tossing 12 strikeouts in the game. With the win, she improves to 11-2 on the year.

The second game did not see as much offense as the first, but the Lakers still continued to excel, beating Purdue Northwest 1-0 in the second matchup.

Shomin led off the game with a single before almost immediately stealing second base, putting a runner in scoring position early for the Lakers. Rieger then proceeded to double to left center, and Shomin easily made it home, scoring what ended up being the game-winning run in the first few minutes of the contest.

A pitcher’s duel proceeded to take place after the top of the first, as the teams combined for a measly six hits for the rest of the game. Sub-40-degree weather may have played a role in it, but GVSU’s Allie Grys looked cold-blooded on the mound, only allowing two hits in seven innings, as well as seven strikeouts to go along with it.

With the win, Grys improves to a solid 8-1 on the year, earning one of her more impressive wins of the year since she only had one run of support to fall back on.

Great pitching seemed to be yet again the theme of the day for the Lakers. The dominant performances from Lipovsky and Grys, who combined to allow only three hits all day long, carried the Lakers.

With the two wins, GVSU improves to 23-5 on the year and currently holds first place in the GLIAC with at least a two-game lead on every other team in the division

They look to continue their dominance this week, as they play eight games in the next six days. They have a home doubleheader with Davenport on Monday, April 9, before hitting the road for a doubleheader with Saginaw Valley State on Wednesday, April 11, another one the following day at Tiffin and a weekend series with archival Ferris State.