Lane Scores on Wild Pitch to Give PNW Baseball a Thrilling 3-2 Win Over GVSU
Hammond, Ind. – Senior Jacob Lane (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) scored from third base on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Purdue Northwest baseball team a thrilling 3-2 win in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener against Grand Valley State University (Mich.) Friday afternoon at Albert’s Diamond Jewelers Field at Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind. Freshman John Cory (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) drove in two of PNW’s three runs for the game to lead the offensive attack.
After three scoreless innings, the Lakers scored the first run of the game on a RBI single up the middle to take an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the fourth, Cory came up with a clutch two-out, two-run single to centerfield to put the Pride in front, 2-1. A lead-off double by GVSU to start the fifth inning led to the game-tying run two batters later on a RBI single to left field. The game remained tied at 2-2 until the late game heroics by Lane.
Junior Brendan Kelly (Grandville, Mich./Grandville) picked up the win (1-0) in relief for the Pride. Kelly pitched the ninth inning and allowed just one hit and no runs or walks. Senior Jimmy Skiff (Dyer, Ind./Andrean) got the start and threw well for PNW. Skiff pitched the first five innings and gave up seven hits, two runs (both earned) and three walks with five strikeouts.
Freshman Justin Walter (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) also pitched well for Purdue Northwest recording three innings of middle relief and allowing just one hit with five strikeouts. The Pride scattered seven hits in the victory with Lane leading the way with two, including a double.
Purdue Northwest (8-4 overall/1-0 GLIAC) continues its conference series with the Lakers on Saturday, March 24, with a doubleheader. The two seven-inning games kick off at 1 p.m. CT start at Albert’s Diamond Jewelers Field at Dowling Park.