After 20 innings of ball on Saturday, March 27, the Hillsdale College baseball team turned around to play two more games on Sunday, finishing the series 3-1 overall against Malone University.
The Chargers now boast an 8-4 conference record, 12-8 overall. They are tied for third in the conference with Walsh University, who they will take on this weekend at home.
“It’s always good to win a series, especially on the road,” head coach Eric Theisen said. “We’d like to have come away with a sweep, but sweeps are tough on the road. We continue to find ways to get it done.”
Saturday, March 27 (Game 1): Hillsdale, 7, Malone, 4
Malone took an early 3-0 lead to start the game, but the Chargers started their comeback in the top of the third when freshman Jeff Landis hit a two-run homer to cut the deficit to one. By the sixth inning, the score was tied 4-4.
Neither lineup made much progress with only one hit between the two teams. A single by freshman Joe Hardenbergh in the top of the ninth was enough to win the game for Hillsdale. Six Chargers walked after that, which scored three runs.
Senior pitcher David Toth earned his second G-MAC player of the week award for his performance on the mound in Saturday’s game. He pitched seven innings and faced 28 batters, striking out 12.
Freshman Logan Simon came in for Toth in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied and held the Pioneers scoreless to get the win. Simon is one of the many underclassmen on the team who are stepping up to fill big roles, according to Theisen.
“We’re excited about that. They’ve got a lot of confidence in our team and it doesn’t seem to matter how it gets done, they’re just competitive and they really compete,” he said. “That’s when competitions at its greatest, when games are on the line. I think they genuinely enjoy those moments. Especially for a team that’s so young, that’s a really good sign.”
Saturday, March 27 (Game 2): Hillsdale, 10, Malone, 7
Sophomore Cooper Peterson hit a three-run home run to left field to rally the lineup in the top of the fourth inning. The Chargers went on to score two more, taking the lead by one. Malone answered two innings later with a sac fly to score, tying the game 7-7.
The score remained tied after the ninth inning, and stayed that way until the top of the 11th when Cody Kanclerz singled to score freshman Jaekob Sallee. With the score 8-7, the Chargers secured the win with two more runs.
Freshman pitcher Zane Barnhart took the mound in the bottom of the 11th, striking out three of the four batters he faced to earn his first save of the season.
“We’re a young team and we’ve been very, very, very good in close games,” Theisen said. “That’s really cool to see and have that kind of youth and have them almost seem to get better in pressure situations when games are tight, that’s a good sign.”
Barnhart said his confidence in his team helped him remain calm under pressure.
“When I took the mound I didn’t feel any pressure because I knew I had a great defense behind me, he said. “ I knew all I would have to do is throw strikes.”
Sunday, March 28 (Game 3): Hillsdale, 9, Malone, 10
The only loss of the weekend came down to the very last inning on Sunday. After an eight-run inning by the Pioneers in the bottom of the second, the Chargers began their comeback with back-to-back home run innings.
Kanclerz and freshman Danny Passinault each hit a double and a homer to lead the Charger lineup. With a triple by freshman Aidan Brewer and another home run by Peterson, Hillsdale managed to tie the game by the top of the seventh, 9-9.
Neither team managed to score after that, until Malone’s Joe Gallo managed an RBI on a single with two outs left to defeat the Chargers.
Sunday, March 29 (Game 4): Hillsdale, 9, Malone, 5
Leading off for the Chargers, Kanclerz set the tone for the rest of the lineup with a homerun to left centerfield. Brewer and Peterson each earned an RBI on a single to put the Chargers ahead 3-0 by the bottom of the first.
Freshman Nick Stepke walked to start the third inning, which led to five runs for the Charger offense. Hardenbergh homered to center field for two RBI, followed by a double by Peterson. Freshman Danny Passinault singled to right field to score Peterson. With the score 7-4, Kanclerz was back at the plate, followed by junior Rob Zurawski, each with a sac fly to score two more.
Ahead by five going into the bottom of the third, Hillsdale let up one more run, the final one for either team on the day, ending the game in six innings.
Up Next:
The Chargers will take on Walsh University this Friday and Saturday on their home field. The first game is set to start at 12:30 p.m.
“With Walsh, they’re a lot like us. We tend to be pretty similar and play a straight up style of baseball,” Theisen said. “There’s not a whole lot that’s different that we need to prepare for, other than just making sure that we’re healthy and ready to play our best baseball.”