Lansing, MI - In the first game of the GLIAC Tournament, the Parkside Rangers suffered defeat on Thursday. No. 2 Grand Valley State Lakers pulled away in the later innings, downing the Rangers 8-1.
How it happened:
In their biggest game of the season yet, the Rangers turned to Leo Berger to get the start on the mound. After the Rangers offense was held to just one hit through two innings, Berger was tagged for a run in the second inning. The Lakers took the lead on an RBI double from Jake Rydquist, but he was cut down trying to extend it to a triple, and the inning came to an end. The Lakers led 1-0 after two innings of baseball in Lansing.
In the fourth inning, the Rangers were able to grab their first and only run of the game. Carter Storti began the inning with a lead-off walk. Jude Allen followed the walk with a base-hit into left field, he was one of three Rangers to record a multi-hit game. The next hitter, Owen Brock, delivered the RBI hit. He singled through the left side and drove Storti in from second base, his first of two hits in the game. The Rangers ended up stranding the bases loaded in the inning, and the game was knotted at one run a piece after four innings of baseball.
Berger left the game in the fifth inning with an impressive line. He threw just 60 pitches over 4.1 innings, striking out two batters. However, as soon as he left the game, the Lakers got rolling on the offensive side. They scored three runs in the fifth, and then four more in the seventh inning. Maguire Delagrave entered in the seventh inning and put out the fire. He recorded the final five outs the team needed. Delagrave allowed just one hit, and he picked up three strikeouts in the process.
The Rangers went down in the order in the ninth inning, falling to the Lakers in the opening game of the tournament. They left 10 total base runners on and committed four errors in the game. Parkside's season isn't over yet, they will play in an elimination game tomorrow.
Next:
The Rangers will look to keep their season alive tomorrow morning. They will play against the loser of No. 1 Saginaw Valley State and No. 6 Purdue Northwest at 11:00 am (ET). For coverage of the event, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
