Baseball 1-2 vs. Ohio Dominican

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Baseball 1-2 vs. Ohio Dominican

As Major League Baseball returns to the field, the Chargers season continued with a doubleheader on Tuesday and another game yesterday against Ohio Dominican. The Chargers lost two out of three games, including on Wednesday 6-1, bringing their overall record to 11-13.

Freshman Lucas Hamelink started Wednesday’s loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing all 6 runs. Hitters combined for only eight hits and struck out nine times.

The Chargers lost the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader in extra innings 3-2 and won the second game 11-5.

In the second game, freshman Zak Northrup went 4-for-4, earning three RBIs, and stealing 2 bases. Sophomore John Hanrahan pitched a complete game, allowing 7 hits and 5 runs.

Head coach Paul Noce said the team has been making little mistakes that add up to hurt them, but that the win in the second game was a much-needed boost for the team’s record and confidence.

“We’re swinging the bat well,” Noce said. “We just need some better situational hitting and we need to improve on some of the little things.”

Sophomore Vinny Delicata said the doubleheader was tough for the team, but a good learning experience.

“The first game was tough,” he said. “But it was good to see us fight back from a 2-0 deficit. It’s good to see the team be resilient and keep fighting.”

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Chargers came back from a 4-0 deficit in the first inning, countering Ohio Dominican’s score with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first.

Over spring break, the Chargers played eight games, winning three.

Freshman Lucas Hamelink pitched last Sunday in Hillsdale’s 3-2 win over Lake Erie. Hamelink threw 5.2 innings and struck out five batters. Junior Dan Pochmara finished the game, allowing no hits in his relief appearance.

The Chargers totaled 12 hits in their 9-4 win over Lake Erie, with freshmen Luke Ortel and Connor Bartlett, sophomore Vinny Delicata, senior Mike Vanchieri all getting two hits. Freshman Geordy Smith got three hits, including a triple.

Last Wednesday’s win over Grand Valley saw the Chargers score four runs in the fifth inning, coming back from a 3-0 deficit. They won the game 6-5, with Pochmara earning his third save of the season. Sophomore Shane Armstrong started the game and recorded his second win of the season.

The Chargers’ losses came in succession after their three wins as they lost a game to Grand Valley, and three to Tiffin. The other loss over break was to Lake Erie on March 23.

“I don’t think it’s ever good to be swept by a team, but we learned a lot from it,” Delicata said. “We learned that we’re a good team, but we’ve gotta come and play everyday. It gave us motivation to keep working hard and not become complacent.”

Noce said it was encouraging to see the team compete against Grand Valley, one of the best teams in the conference. Noce is confident that the team will continue to improve.

“If we learned anything from the games [over break], it is that the team has to play their best at all times,” Noce said. “If they believe in themselves and continue to gain confidence, then they’ll keep improving.”