In four games at the Lewis Dome Tournament, #4 Grand Valley State allowed runs in just one inning, but it was enough to salvage just a split on Saturday night (Feb. 25). The Lakers fell to Wisconsin-Parkside by a 6-1 count before bouncing back to shutout William Jewell by a 6-0 final on Saturday evening for a 3-1 weekend trip to start the 2017 season.
 
On the opening day of the year on Friday night, GVSU defeated Missouri S&T and Illinois Springfield by shutout victories. The split on Saturday gave the Lakers a 3-1 start to the year. Wisconsin-Parkside's victory improved the Rangers' record to 3-9 overall, while William Jewell falls to 3-6 to begin the season.
 
Over four games at the season-opening tournament in Rosemont, Ill., the Laker pitching staff allowed just six runs - and all of those tallies came in just one inning of play. During the remaining 26.0 innings, the GVSU hurlers gave up zero runs.
 
Game One - Wisconsin-Parkside (L, 6-1)
 
The Rangers loaded the bases against junior righty Courtney Reinhold in the top of the first inning and a three-run double from catcher Raegan Finerman put the visitors ahead, 3-0. A back-to-back RBI triple and single upped the lead to 5-0 and a final two-out run-scoring single put Wisconsin-Parkside on top by a 6-0 cushion.
 
Sophomore Allison Lipovsky replaced Reinhold in the circle and although the Rangers loaded the bases in the second inning, she escaped trouble and kept the score at 6-0.
 
It was still a six-run deficit in the fifth inning, when junior Tanner Kiessel led off the frame with a bunt single. Classmate Teagan Shomin followed with a single and senior Kelsey Dominguez added a third straight single, though Shomin was retired on play. Senior Jenna Lenza notched a fourth consecutive single, bringing in Kiessel for GVSU's first run of the contest. Wisconsin-Parkside recorded the final two outs of the inning to get out of further trouble.
 
Grand Valley State was unable to score in the sixth or seventh frames, ending the contest with its first loss despite an 8-6 edge in hits. Reinhold (0-1) suffered the loss after her first inning struggles. Lipovsky allowed just one hit in 6.2 innings in relief and though she issued six walks, the reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year notched eight strikeouts.
 
Seven Lakers recorded a base hit in the opener, with Shomin going 2-for-4. Dominguez went 1-for-2 and walked twice.
 
Game Two - William Jewell (W, 6-0)
 
Junior transfer Allie Grys was dominant in her first start in a Laker uniform, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard during the complete game victory. She also received a pair of three-run innings from the GVSU offense.
 
Sophomore Shannon Flaherty opened the second stanza with a single and moved to second on a single from freshman Kayla Plastiak. An RBI double from fellow freshman Kelcie LaTour to left center field scored Flaherty for a 1-0 lead. Junior transfer Jessica Ramos followed with a single to center field, scoring Plastiak and LaTour for a 3-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the third, Grys allowed a leadoff double, followed by an error to put two runners on with no outs. The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out, but Grys induced a popup and a second looking strikeout in the frame to close out the inning and keep GVSU in front 3-0.
 
To start the fifth inning, Lenza tallied a leadoff single and Flaherty walked with one out. Two batters later, LaTour singled back up the middle to score both runners for a 5-0 cushion. LaTour later stole second base, moved to third on a single from Ramos, and crossed home plate on a passed ball for the 6-0 advantage.
 
Grys settled into a nice rhythm, tallying a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning and notching perfect 1-2-3 innings in both the fifth and sixth stanzas. She recorded the first two outs in the seventh inning before a Laker error then used a groundout to complete the shutout. In her first appearance at GVSU, Grys (1-0) gave up four hits and a walk while tallying five strikeouts.
 
Both Shomin and LaTour notched 3-for-4 efforts, while LaTour doubled, drove in three runs and scored twice. Lenza, Flaherty, and Ramos each added two hits, while Ramos collected a pair of RBI. Flaherty crossed home plate twice in the win, as the Lakers totaled a 13-4 edge in base hits.
 
Grand Valley State begins its 12-game trip over Spring Break on Mar. 5, when the Lakers face Minnesota Duluth and Notre Dame (Ohio) to kick off the weeklong trip.