The Tiffin University baseball team split their four game set with the Grand Valley State Lakers, dropping game one on Sunday 9-5, but rebounding for an 8-3 victory in the fourth and final game.
Game One
Tiffin jumped out to a 1st inning lead to start game one, using an Alec McCurry sacrifice fly to lead 1-0. An inning later, Brayden Callihan picked up a run batted in, reaching on a fielder's choice to give Tiffin a 2-0 advantage. The Lakers answered with a single run in the bottom of the 3rd, pulling within a run at 2-1.
In the 4th inning, Callihan added another RBI to his stat line with a groundout to give the Dragons a 3-1 lead. The Lakers tied the game in their half of the 4th, with a two run home run. The back and forth affair continued in the 5th, as Tiffin fired back with two of their own. Kyle Durham knifed a single to right field to plate McCurry, and Kyle Lento raced home on a wild pitch to make it a 5-3 Tiffin lead.
The lead didn't last long, as the Lakers smacked a grand slam to lead 7-5 a half inning later. Another Laker long ball in the 6th pushed Grand Valley's lead to the eventual final score at 9-5.
On the mound, Chad Phenis took the loss, allowing four earned runs during his time on the mound. At the plate, Tiffin scored their five runs with two hits and six walks, stranding six on base.
Game Two
The napping bats in game one woke up in the nightcap, as the Dragons put Grand Valley in an early hole. In the 2nd inning, Jack Dennis sliced a double to center field to score Kyle Lentoand give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. With a pair aboard, Fernando Nieto shot a single down the right field line, scoring two runs and giving Tiffin a 3-0 advantage.
Another Grand Valley State home run pulled the Lakers within a run in the 4th inning at 3-2, but this time the Dragons kept their foot on the gas. A three run 5th inning, spurred on by Jay Smith's two run single to right center field, allowed Tiffin to put some distance between themselves and the Lakers.
In the 9th inning, the Dragons wanted to make sure the game was out of reach for Grand Valley State, plating two more runs via Alec McCurry's double to right center field to give the Dragons an 8-3 lead.
On the mound, Ricky Krieger was the winning pitcher in relief, tossing four innings allowing one run while striking out five. At the plate, Jay Smith led the way with a 3 for 5 performance with two runs batted in.
The Dragons move to 14-14 overall and 7-5 in GLIAC play.