In a battle of the top two teams in the GLIAC standings entering Sunday (Apr. 12), Grand Valley State and Tiffin each tossed a shutout to split the doubleheader in Allendale. Tiffin scored a pair of sixth inning runs to take game one, 2-0, before GVSU responded with a 9-0 victory in the nightcap.

Heading into the Sunday twinbill, Grand Valley State sat atop the league standings with an 11-2 GLIAC record, one win ahead of Tiffin (10-2). The split puts GVSU at 26-8 overall and 12-3 in conference play, while the Dragons are 20-12 overall and 11-3 in GLIAC action.

The Lakers' seven-game win streak ended in game one, but Grand Valley State is still 10-2 at home during its current 14-game homestand. GVSU will close out the home portion of its regular season on Wednesday (Apr. 15) against Saginaw Valley State. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.

Game one on Sunday was a classic pitcher's duel between GVSU junior Sara Andrasik and Tiffin freshman Kimmy Reynolds. The Lakers threatened in the first inning on a two-out double from sophomore Jenna Lenza and a walk to junior McKenze Supernaw, but Reynolds forced the next out to end the jam.

Andrasik allowed just one baserunner in the first three innings and did not give up a hit until the fourth. Reynolds left GVSU with the bases loaded in the third inning, which was the Lakers' best scoring chance in game one. Freshman Teagan Shomin and sophomore Kelsey Dominguez led off with back-to-back singles, but would be stuck at second and third when Reynolds notched a strikeout to get out of trouble.

Tiffin finally cracked the scoreboard in the sixth inning, getting its first baserunner on an error and following up with three consecutive singles to open a 2-0 advantage. Reynolds would make the lead hold, as she retired the final nine batters she faced, setting down the Lakers in order in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. She moves to 10-3 on the season.

Andrasik (8-5) pitched very well, but was unfortunately tasked with the loss. She gave up just one earned run on six hits in the complete game. The righty walked two and struck out three Dragons. Shomin, Dominguez, and Lenza had the Lakers' only three hits.

The game one shutout was the fifth consecutive shutout that the Tiffin pitchers had tossed. That figure ended early in game two, however, as GVSU plated four runs in it first at-bat. Shomin doubled on the first pitch of the game and would score on Supernaw's RBI single. 

Later in the frame - with the bases loaded - freshman Kaylie Rhynard ripped a shot up the middle that went all the way to the right center field fence for a two-run double. The lead grew to 4-0 on an RBI single from sophomore Ellie Balbach. 

Grand Valley State's advantage was 5-0 when the first three Tiffin batters reached base off GVSU's Courtney Reinhold in the second inning. However, the freshman righty worked out of a major jam by getting a swinging strikeout and a lineout to shortstop. With two outs, a ground ball from Kaitlin Gruenewald looked as if it would find its way through the infield until it hit Allyson Rock, who was running from first to second base. That was the third out of the inning and the last real trouble Reinhold faced.

GVSU continued to score in the third inning, as Lenza's RBI single to right field scored freshman Janae Langs (one-out single). Supernaw capped the scoring with a big two-out, two-run double to center field, which came after a Tiffin error and scored both Dominguez and Lenza.

With the score 9-0 in the fifth inning, Shomin and Lenza turned a 6-4-3 game-ending double play. Reinhold improves to 11-2 on the season with her third shutout. She scattered seven hits, walked one batter, and struck out two.

Supernaw went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Langs (one run) and Shomin (double, two runs) each went 2-for-3. Lenza walked twice and scored twice, as Rhynard drove in a pair of runs.

After Wednesday's doubleheader with SVSU, the Lakers' final four twinbills are on the road - at Northwood, Ferris State, Findlay, and Hillsdale - the next two weekends.