Battle Creek, MI—When Kalamazoo Valley swept GRCC in a double header earlier this season, Coach Mike Cupples chalked the loss up to our guys not being able to hit. The Raiders seemed to have figured out KVCC’s pitching techniques. The result; an onslaught of offense.

Kalamazoo Valley was no match for the Raiders high powered offense, and GRCC breezed by the Cougars in the opening round of the Regional Tournament by a score of 16-6.

In all the Raiders earned a total of 20 hits during 9 innings of play. Every member of the squad earned at least one hit, with 8 of 9 players earning a pair or more. Jared Theissen and McKinley Portice continued to frustrate pitchers, and each earned 3 RBI’s. Ryan Manning, Ron Sanders and Carlos Berroa all had a trio of hits to pace their squad.

David Frederick opened action for the Raiders on the mound, and pitched the first 5 innings. Frederick struck out batters and allowed the team only 2 hits. Teammate McKinley Portice stepped in to close the game out, and held the Cougars scoreless in his four innings pitched. Portice allowed only 3 hits and had 3 strikeouts along the way.

The Raiders are playing with a great deal of confidence right now, and rightfully so. The guys finished the regular season with a 33-21 record and 6 consecutive victories.

Next up for the Raiders is perennial rival Kellogg Community College. The teams met 3 times this season, with GRCC earning 3 victories.

The Bruins, however, are not to be taken lightly. With a 20-6 record in MCCAA play, Kellogg earned the number one seed. The reigning District XII champions powered past Cuyahoga CC, another strong team, by a score of 7-4. They will be looking for vengeance, and without a doubt have another regional championship in mind.

The Raiders take on the Bruins today at 12:30. The game will take place on Nichols Field at Bailey Park.