CALEDONIA, Mich. – The Davenport baseball team nearly pulled off a doubleheader sweep on Sunday against Grand Valley State. The Panthers took game one 6-3 and battled in game two before falling 2-1 to the Lakers. Davenport got a vintage performance by junior Grant Wolfram who tossed six innings and struck out a season-high 11 batters while scattering two hits. The second game of the day hinged on missed opportunities by both teams. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, DU could not score again while stranding eight on base. The Lakers scored once in the sixth and again in the seventh to gain the split.

GAME 1
Wolfram battled Blake Dahlstrom and got the upper hand improving to 2-3 on the mound. The Panthers scored twice in the second to get things started. Anthony DiPonio and Jacob Buchberger led off with singles and then Alex Huard bunted them over a base. Oscar Heredia grounded into a fielder's choice and GVSU catcher Caleb Anspaugh dropped a potential out at home allowing DiPonio to score the game's first run. Austin Petravicius had a RBI groundout to score Buchberger.

The Lakers scored twice in the third to tie the game. Wolfram walked the leadoff hitter and hit the next batter to set up the scoring chance. Both runners stole a base and Zach Berry had a RBI groundout then Ryan Blake-Jones had a RBI single. Davenport had an immediate response with three runs in the bottom half of the third. Zac Wilson tripled to right center and Brian Sobieski singled up the middle for a 3-2 lead. Buchberger doubled with one out moving Sobieski to third. Huard then singled through the right side to make it 4-2. Heredia got an RBI with a grounder to second as Buchberger scored the fifth run.

Davenport added their sixth run in the fourth as Petravicius doubled to left center and then Nolan Bryant drew a walk ending the outing for Dahlstrom. Noah Lamboley entered and would pitch the final three innings for the Lakers. A passed ball moved both runners up and Wilson reached on an infield single to load the bases. Sobieski drew a walk to force in the run.

Grand Valley State scored once in the seventh off Evan Maize after Wolfram exited after 116 pitches. He gave up two hits including a RBI single to Blake-Jones. Wilson finished 3-for-4 with his first triple of the season and now stands two hits shy of the all-time school record (190). Buchberger went 2-for-3 with his fourth double of the season.

GAME 2
The Davenport bats went cold with just five hits in the nightcap. Travis Keys held his own going five innings for the Lakers and giving up four hits with five strikeouts. Andrew Click was dancing in and out of trouble during his 4.1 innings of work. GVSU left 11 runners on base for the game including six in the first four innings. DU scored their run in the first as Petravicius tripled for the third time this season to lead off. After a pair of outs, Sobieski walked in a six-pitch at-bat. He then got into a pickle between first and second and Petravicius scored from third before the tag was made on Sobieski diving back into first base.

Click and the Panthers ran into a jam in the fourth as GVSU loaded the bases with no outs after two singles and a fielder's choice. Click then got back-to-back ground balls to Huard at third and he threw out the lead runner at home. He then fanned Alex Mandeville on a full-count pitch to keep it 1-0.

Maize came into the game in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. He got a strikeout and groundout to first as Maize covered the bag and got the out by a foot. DU left two runners on base in the fourth and fifth unable to increase their lead. GVSU once again threatened in the sixth after a double and walk. Nolan Anspaugh singled up the middle to tie the game and then with two outs, the Panthers went to Krystien Johnson-Battilana out of the bullpen. He stranded two runners getting Blake-Jones to ground out to shortstop.

The Lakers took the lead in the seventh after two outs as Chase Carpenter doubled to right and Josh C. Smith singled him home through the left side. Kyle Lawson came on to get the save replacing Alex Licata who took over to start the sixth inning. Lawson earned his seventh save of the season but did walk Austin Lansky to lead off the inning. He got Wilson to strike out swinging to end the game with Bryant on first after he reached on a fielder's choice. Licata improved to 1-1 and struck out two in his inning of work.
Buchberger and Huard each went 2-for-3 as Huard hit his sixth double of the season. The two teams will conclude their four-game series on Monday (Apr. 9) with a 3 p.m. first pitch at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.