The Hillsdale College softball team won three four conference games this past week, sweeping Tiffin University and splitting with Cedarville University.
Saturday, April 3 (Game 1): Hillsdale, 16, Tiffin, 9
With a high-scoring first game, the Chargers relied on their lineup to recover from three multi-run deficits throughout the course of seven innings.
“A lot of times you only have so many comebacks in a game,” head coach Kyle Gross said. “Maybe you’re down and you come back in the final inning. But there were 3 to 4 innings where we were down, took the lead, and then were down again. So to do that four times in one game, and then to take the lead was just amazing to watch.”
Trailing 9-7 in the bottom of the fifth, junior Renee Bielawa hit a two-run single to centerfield and tied the game up. Bielawa chipped another RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, followed by seniors Madison Stoner and Sam Catron’s back-to-back home runs.
“Maddison absolutely crushed this ball, it was one of the hardest balls I’d ever seen her hit,” Catron said regarding Stoner’s home run. “I was so excited, I wasn’t thinking that I was going to hit another one, so I just walked up to the plate. I happened to hit one on the next pitch, which was unexpected, and it was great! The whole team went crazy.”
Saturday, April 3 (Game 2): Hillsdale, 6, Tiffin, 1
Senior pitcher Julia Sayles earned her first win of the season, striking out three, walking none, and giving up no earned runs to help secure the Charger’s second win against the Dragons.
Bielawa gave the Chargers an early lead after hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, starting the game 1-0.
No runs were scored over the next five innings, but Gross said this was a testament to his team’s defensive strength.
“The girls were confident in the way Sayles was pitching and our defense held strong against a good team. With such a low-scoring game like this, defense has to be a part of it, and ours was,” Gross said.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, senior Natalie Stepanenko broke the game open with a two-run double.
“It worked in our favor that Tiffin’s coach called a timeout when he did,” Stepanenko said. “Coach told me to use my eyes, which is what he tells me when I have the green light to slap or hit when I’m at the plate. I felt confident that my slapping was the best offense against Tiffin’s pitcher to score runs for the team.”
Tuesday, April 6 (Game 1): Hillsdale, 1, Cedarville, 2
Senior Dana Weidinger pitched an excellent game against the Yellowjackets, throwing eight strikeouts, no walks, four hits, and only one earned run.
Scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Chargers offense was simply not able to recover from the deficit.
Rallying in the sixth inning, Stepanenko hit a single that scored freshman Hailey Holtman and put Bielawa on third base, but they were unable to get another run in order to tie the game up.
Tuesday April 6 (Game 2): Hillsdale, 10, Cedarville, 1
Starting the second game off strong, Catron hit a two-run homerun in the first inning, followed by Holtman’s RBI double and freshman Grace Wallner’s RBI single.
Cedarville responded with one run in the bottom of the third inning, but the Chargers’ continued to extend their lead, scoring five runs in the fourth.
Junior Camryn Olson earned her second win of the season, pitching all five innings and getting four strikeouts, no walks, four hits, and one earned run.
Up Next:
Hosting two double-headers, the Chargers will be facing Malone and Walsh University at home on Friday, April 9 and Saturday April 10 at 1 and 3 pm.