ALLENDALE, Mich. – Grand Valley State kept the Gannon bats quiet for the majority of Friday's action as the Golden Knights were swept in a doubleheader. Game one saw the Golden Knights struggle offensively in an 8-2 defeat, while a Wes Parker (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) ninth inning home run tied the game at four in the ninth of game two, only to see GVSU rattle off a string of hits to walk things off in the bottom of the frame.  The two losses dropped GU to 5-8 on the season and their fourth consecutive loss. They'll look to salvage the series finale against GVSU tomorrow at noon. 

GAME 1
Jake Boynar (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville) got the start in the opening game but failed to get out of the first inning unscathed. Grand Valley State pushed across the first run on a sac fly, and followed it up on the next at bat with an RBI single, and GU trailed 2-0 after an inning. 

That deficit would double in the second. Boynar would yield a double to the leadoff hitter in the lineup that plated a pair, and the seniors day was done after two innings of work. He scattered six hits and the four earned runs, striking out one.

Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) collected the first GU hit of the game in the first inning, but was quickly taken off the basepaths when Wes Parker (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) grounded into an inning ending double play. The Golden Knights wouldn't have another man reach base until the top of the fourth on a Soto walk. 

Senior Carson Whiteman (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) relieved Boynar in the third but could not complete the inning. He surrendered an RBI single to center, getting the hook after 0.2 innings of work. Jaret Boyer (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) relieved him and got out of the inning with no further damage. 

Down 5-0 in the fifth, GU's offense finally came to life in the form of Drew Stangelo (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover). The backstop, batting ninth, ripped a double to the left center field corner, plating Hunter Troiano (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Cainen Atherton (Mount Union, Pa./Mount Union Area). It cut things from 5-0 to 5-2 and was the only blemish on GVSU's starting pitcher, who went the rest of the game without allowing a run in a complete game effort. 

Boyer would allow three earned runs in his next three innings of work to close the game, all which came in the sixth. Following an RBI single, the righty gave up back to back RBI triples, pushing Grand Valley State's lead to 8-2. 

The Golden Knights finished with six hits in the game, leaving just four runners on base. Striking out just three times, GU did well to put the ball in play, but struggled to get the ball past GVSU's defense. Soto went 1-2 and reach base twice, while Stangelo collect a pair of RBI's. Boynar took the loss to drop to 1-2 on the season. He and Boyer each surrendered six hits.

GAME 2
Inserting freshman Zach Tkatch (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) on the bump for the doubleheader finale, DJ Cannon's crew found themselves once again playing from behind to begin the contest. Tkatch gave up a solo home run to the second batter he faced, and GVSU was up 1-0 after an inning of play. 

That lead was short lived. Earning his second RBI of the day, Atherton skied a sac fly to center to plate Troiano in the second to quickly tie the score. Stangelo was stranded on the basepaths to end the frame, but GU had tied things, 1-1. 

Grand Valley State immediately took the lead back in the bottom of the second. Tkatch surrendered an RBI single to the eight hitter, and two batters later, the lead had doubled when an RBI single catapulted GVSU to a 3-1 lead. Tkatch got through the third and one out in the fourth, ending his day with the three runs, seven hits, and a pair of punchouts. 

Down a pair, the Golden Knights kept pushing on offense. With Soto on third and two outs, Troiano pushed a pitch to center to cut the deficit to 3-2. Koroly looked to tie the game coming from second, but was thrown out to preserve GVSU's one run lead. 

Brady Berdine (Warren, Pa./Warren Area) would come into the game in relief for GU in the seventh following 2.2 scoreless innings from Logan Ayres (New Castle, Pa./Laurel). But with one out in the seventh, the righty couldn't get GVSU's six hitter out, and an RBI single pushed the lead back to two at 4-2. 

It appeared that Gannon's offense would be stymied the rest of the way, as the score held until the ninth. Enter Wes Parker (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township). Continuing his torrid pace to start the year, Parker crushed a game tying two run blast to score himself and Reece Colvin (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) with two outs in the final frame. His fourth homer of the campaign, Parker sent the game to the bottom of the ninth level, 4-4. 

Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) came on in the eighth and was tasked with holding things in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. A quick two outs of the first two batters of the inning seemed to solidify this. But consecutive singles from there left runners on first and second with two outs, and Smith surrendered a third straight single to end the game, as GVSU earned the walk-off win, 5-4.