Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University faced a narrow defeat against Davenport in the GLIAC baseball game on Wednesday night, ending with a 6-5 scoreline. The Lakers are set to continue their road trip with four more games against Saginaw Valley State, starting with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m.

Davenport took an early lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning, capitalizing on a couple of hits and a Laker error. They remained scoreless until the eighth inning. Grand Valley State managed to score one run in the fourth inning when Ryan Dykstra bunted down the third base line, taking advantage of Davenport's defensive setup. He advanced to second on a groundout and was driven home by Jonas Gulbrandsen's single.

The Lakers equalized in the eighth inning after Ayden VanEnkevort hit a triple with two outs, followed by Dykstra’s RBI double. However, Davenport responded strongly in their half of the eighth inning with a three-run homer, pushing them ahead 5-2.

In a tense ninth inning, Grand Valley State rallied with three runs despite having two outs. Brendan Guciardo, Logan Anderson, and Connor McCormack all drew walks before Jake Rydquist was hit by a pitch to bring home Guciardo. VanEnkevort walked to score Anderson and Dykstra was also hit by a pitch allowing McCormack to cross home plate.

Davenport clinched victory with an unearned run in their final at-bat.

Ryan Dykstra led Grand Valley's efforts offensively going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Jonas Gulbrandsen matched his performance at 2-for-4 while VanEnkevort contributed significantly with his triple and subsequent scoring play.

On the mound for Grand Valley State, Allan Thorington pitched four innings giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out two batters. Owen Avery followed him for three innings conceding one run from two hits alongside four strikeouts.