The Hillsdale College baseball team lost a series to Bellarmine University this past weekend. The Knights beat the Chargers in a Saturday double header and a Sunday game, 8-1, 5-4, and 12-1.
“We struggled swinging at the bat,” head coach Paul Noce said. “We need to make adjustments on the hitting approach for what each player needs.”
Noce said the men swung somewhat better this week than last week, but they need to be more aggressive hitting fast balls and swing earlier in the count.
“The other team threw a lot of outside pitches, and we didn’t adjust,” freshman shortstop Nolan Breymaier said .
In the first game, Hillsdale did not have any hits until the fourth inning when junior right fielder Mike Vanchieri reached second on an error by Bellarmine’s left fielder. Freshman catcher Sean Bennett singled to center field, leading to Hillsdale’s first and only run.
“We’re not hitting as well as we should be right now,” Breymaier said, “and when we start to lose momentum, it almost cripples us.”
Sophomore left fielder Adam Ladzinski and senior catcher Chris Stephens led the team with two hits each. Bennett, junior third baseman Scott Lantis, and Breymaier had one hit each.
Neither the Chargers nor the Knights scored in the second game until the fourth inning when first baseman Matt Pochmara and Vanchieri both scored. By the top of the ninth, Bellarmine was up 4-2.
Sophomore left fielder Adam Ladzinski and freshman second baseman Vinny Delicata tied up the game with one run apiece.
“We tied up the game in the ninth,” Breymaier said. “It was the first time we had come from behind all weekend.”
Bellarmine clinched the win 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth.
“We missed the location on the pitch, and the guy hit it in,” Noce said .
Breymaier, Vanchieri, and Stephens had two hits each. Noce said the men showed a lot of character coming from behind with some key hits.
The Chargers could not regain momentum in the second game, when the Knights won 12-1.
Vanchieri scored the only run, while Lantis, Pochmara, and junior centerfielder Brad Hayden both had one hit each.
Next week, the men will spend their spring break playing six games in Florida where Lantis said he expects the team to hit its stride.
“We have redefined our approach at the plate. The talent’s there. The ability’s there. But it’s such a mental game. We’ve just revamped our philosophy at the plate,” Lantis said. “We’re going to score a lot of runs in Florida because of that.”
In addition to tightening up the team’s offense, Noce hopes to establish the team’s starting lineup and pitching rotation.
“In the first six games, we do a lot of evaluation. We play everyone,” Noce said. “Now it’s time to settle into a line up.”
Lantis said the nine freshman and two transfers have brought fresh talent and skills to the team. Lantis praised Breymaier.
“I’ve never seen such calm confidence in a young player,” Lantis said. “He’s effortlessly transitioned from high school to college. He is literally a perfect defensive player. He has yet to make an error.”
With the graduation of Adam Connell ‘11, Lantis said they worried about filling the void he left at shortstop.
“But Nolan has fit in phenomenally,” Lantis said.
Breymaier said playing at the college level is completely different from playing in high school.
“The little things that go unnoticed in high school make or break college ball,” Breymaier said. “[The Bellarmine players] said, after the game, that they knew which pitch was coming by the way I walked. In high school, I could get away with it.”
