LANSING, Mich. - The top two teams in the GLIAC went down to the wire on Saturday and DU pulled out a 6-5 win on a walk-off single by
Cody Hultink in the bottom of the 10th inning against Grand Valley State. Both teams are ranked in the top 15 in NCAA Division II and the game was an instant classic to propel the Panthers into championship Sunday at the GLIAC Tournament.
The matchup was between what is now a pair of 40-win clubs. DU picked up their 40th win of the season (40-13) and the loss makes the Lakers 41-11. The teams are not only the top in the conference, but also in the Midwest Region. The Panthers were able to pick up their first extra-inning win in three tries this season and it was also the fourth straight win over Grand Valley State.
Davenport jumped ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth as the inning started with singles by
Sam Clay and
Coltrane Rubner.
Justin Johnson had a sacrifice fly with one out and then Rubner scored on a wild pitch.
Xander Reisbig then had the team's first home run of the tournament to right center, which was also his seventh home run of the season.
GVSU answered with two runs in the top of the fifth against GLIAC Pitcher of the Year
Keegan Batka. He stranded three runners on base through the first four innings. Ryan Stimac had a one-out single and Caleb Estrada followed with a double as Stimac scored from first. Ryan Dykstra battled in his at-bat and eventually had a RBI single to left to score Estrada.
Brandon Skorupski replaced Batka to start the top of the sixth and Will Goebel entered in the bottom of the sixth to replace Owen Avery for the Lakers. Skorupski gave up two runs in the top of the seventh as GVSU took their first lead at 4-3. Stimac singled to lead off and Evan Morrison tripled to right center to tie the game. Morrison was cut down at the plate on a grounder by Dykstra for the second out, but GVSU got a single by Jovan Gill and a Jonas Gulbrandsen RBI single to score Dykstra for the lead.
Conor Gausselin got the final out of the seventh and the Panthers threatened in their half of the seventh as Reisbig walked and
Dylan Pawenski reached on a fielder's choice as Reisbig was safe at second on a throwing error by Estrada. Goebel got a fly out by
Chase Kemp and a strikeout of
Logan Todd to preserve the lead.
Ayden VanEnkevort moved from second base to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Reisbig greeted him with a double down the right field line.
Wyatt Epple pinch ran and advanced to third on a grounder to second by
Cody Hultink. Pawenski tied the game at 4-4 with a single through the drawn-in infield. The game moved to extra innings and the Lakers scored in the top of the 10th. Gill had a bloop single to left and Zach Warren bunted him to second.
James Geshel came on to pitch for Gausselin. It was his first appearance since April 19 and his first relief appearance of the season. He threw a wild pitch to move Gill to third and then Brendan Guciardo hit a sacrifice fly for the 5-4 lead.
Clay led off the bottom of the 10th with a single and then Rubner has ruled to be hit by a pitch after pulling back a bunt attempt. VanEnkevort then got two big strikeouts of
Michael Tchavdarov and Johnson. Epple, in his first at-bat after entering as a pinch runner, was plunked in the back to load the bases for Hultink. He worked the count to 3-2 and then ripped a ball into the right center gap as Clay and Rubner scored for the walk-off heroics.
Davenport will now play tomorrow at 11 AM having to win just one more game to capture their third tournament title. They will face the winner of tonight's 7 PM elimination game between Grand Valley State and Wayne State.
