Box Score ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Eagles live to fight another day.
The Ashland University baseball team defeated the Grand Valley State Lakers, 4-1, in an elimination game of the 2015 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Friday (May 15).
The No. 6-seed Eagles improve to 37-18, and will advance to play Saturday (May 16) at 4 p.m. against an opponent to be determined based on Friday's outcomes. The No. 2-seed Grand Valley ends its season at 34-18.
Junior pitcher Art Warren struggled to find his command early on by walking the first two batters, and three total in the first inning. The walks didn't hurt, though, as he produced a ground-ball double play off the bat off the Lakers shortstop Kevin Zak. Two batters later, a Matt Williams groundout to short ended the Laker threat.
In the bottom of the first, the Eagles produced the first run of the game as third baseman Blake Bellman ripped his 13th double of the season down the left-field line to score junior Mike Lewandowski from first base.
AU made some noise in the third as junior center fielder Nick Edwards led off with a walk, followed by a Lewandowski single to get Edwards over to second base. Junior first baseman Mackenzie Hampshire continued the hit parade with a seeing-eye single up the middle to plate Edwards. It was Hampshire's 45th RBI of the season.
Bellman was the next man up, and he knocked in Lewandowski for the Eagles' second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to right field. Ashland led 3-0 after three innings.
The Eagles collected an add-on run in the seventh after senior second baseman Stephen James roped his 36th extra-base hit of the season with a two-out triple. Lewandowski batted James in with an RBI single to right-center field.
GVSU tried to mount a rally in the ninth as the tying run got to the plate, but that's where he was left stranded. Junior pitcher Alex Smith recorded the last out and the Eagles had themselves a 4-1 victory.
Warren pitched six innings, giving up no runs, three hits and five walks and recording two strikeouts. Smith came in to get the three-inning save for the Eagles. It was Smith's 10th save of the year, and his first save in which he pitched more than two innings this season.
AU lost the four previous meetings with the Lakers this season. Ashland pitching had not surrendered fewer than five runs in any of the four games.
"Art settled down after the first couple innings with his command and threw well," Ashland head coach John Schaly said. "Alex Smith came in and shut the door."
Prior to Friday's first pitch, three Eagles were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Midwest Region Teams.
James and junior pitcher Jake Baldwin each earned first-team all-region recognition, while Bellman earned a spot on the second team.
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