Charger pitcher Toth throws no-hitter

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Junior pitcher David Toth’s no-hitter, and seven home runs by the Chargers’ lineup, set the tone for the upcoming Hillsdale College baseball season. The Chargers opened up with a four-game sweep on the road over Maryville University last weekend.

“We expect to be pretty good,” head coach Eric Theisen said. “It was a fun weekend and I’m not surprised at all that that’s how it went.”

The Chargers outscored their opponent 20-8 in the four-game series, proving the team’s young talent with home runs from freshmen Jeff Landis, Aidan Brewer, Lewis Beals, and sophomore Cooper Peterson.

Saturday, Feb. 27 (Game 1): Hillsdale, 5, Maryville, 2

The Chargers started off the game with two runs in the top of the first. After adding another run in the third, they had a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth when Maryville found a spark in its offense, scoring two runs. The Chargers answered with a pair of home runs from Peterson and Landis in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the win.

Senior pitcher Andrew Verbrugge got the win after facing 23 batters and striking out eight. Junior pitcher James Krick came in during the eighth inning to get the save, striking out three.

“It felt pretty normal,” Verbrugge said. “I think the exhibitions took a little bit of the nervousness out of it with it having been the first game.” 

 

Saturday, Feb. 27 (Game 2): Hillsdale, 1, Maryville, 0

When Toth took the mound for game two against Maryville, throwing a no-hitter wasn’t on his mind. 

“Going into the game I wasn’t really thinking about it, it just felt like a normal game,” Toth said. “But by the fourth inning I realized I had a chance.”

This was the first no-hitter in recent Hillsdale history, according to Theisen.

“We’ve never thrown once since I’ve been here and I think it’s my 11th year. I’m sure at some point in this program’s history someone would’ve thrown a no-hitter, but we only have stats from ’98 on,” Theisen said. “He’s fun to watch and his teammates get excited watching him.”

Toth faced 22 batters, striking out 10 of them. As for the rest of the batters faced, he credited the defense behind him for helping him achieve the no-hitter.

“It’s a lot easier when you have the guys behind you, a few of them made some awesome plays,” Toth said. “Junior Rob Zurawski made a great play in the first inning. Their three-hitter hit a line drive and he caught it, and that was just in the first inning.” 

The Chargers’ lineup faced a pitcher of similar talent. Maryville’s Kaleb Huxford struck out seven of the 27 batters faced. Landis was able to capitalize on a mistake in the top of the second with a homer to right field. 

“It was a heck of a pitchers’ battle there,” Theisen said. “It was a fun game to watch.” 

Sunday, Feb. 28 (Game 3): Hillsdale, 4, Maryville, 2

The Chargers returned to the field the next day in the same fashion, with two runs in the top of the first. One came on an RBI from freshman Joe Hardenbergh’s single to center which scored Beals, followed by another single from Landis to score Zurawski. 

In the fourth, Brewer hit a home run to make the score 3-0. The Chargers extended the lead in the fifth with a pair of singles from Zurawski and sophomore Cody Kanclerz which set Zurawski up perfectly to score on an error later in the inning.

Maryville answered with a triple for two runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Hillsdale’s established lead.

Sunday, Feb. 28 (Game 4): Hillsdale, 10, Maryville, 3

As if the Chargers hadn’t proven their talent by the fourth game on Sunday, they finished the series with a dominant 10-3 win, with six runs coming in the top of the ninth.

Beals became the fourth Charger to hit a home run over the weekend in the top of the first, giving Hillsdale a solid start. Their offense went dormant until the eighth inning, when Zurawski singled with bases loaded for two RBI. Krick followed with a sacrifice fly to score Peterson, making the score 4-1. 

“Our lineup is scary from top to bottom,” Theisen said. “There’s no holes.”

Maryville showed a glimmer of hope with a two-run inning in the bottom of the eighth, but once the Chargers returned to the plate, they regained control. 

Brewer hit his second home run of the weekend for two RBI. After an error and a pair of walks, bases were loaded when Landis came up to bat. He hit a grand slam to end the game, 10-3. 

“Obviously that’s another cool thing to have during a game,” Verbrugge said. “Having the whole game be that close game kinda keeps you on your toes, but once you get ahead by a lot it gives you more comfort. I think that was the perfect end to a good sweep. It got us ready and excited for the next one.”

The Chargers will travel to Springfield, Illinois, on March 5 for another four-game series against the University of Illinois Springfield. Friday’s game will begin at 1 p.m. CST. The teams will return to the field for two games on Saturday, and the final game will be on Sunday.

“That could be a preview of two of the top teams in the region,” Theisen said. “They’ve received some votes for top 25 and they’ll be pretty good. It’ll be a fun weekend and we’re looking forward to it.”