Sophomore infielder Andrew George tosses the ball to his teammate. Courtesy | James Gensterblum
The Hillsdale baseball team lost all four games in its series against the Missouri University of Science and Technology Miners this weekend, scoring 14 runs against the Miners’ 37.
After 13 games, the Chargers now have a 5-8 record with a .237 team batting average, and a .346 on-base percentage.
“This was a rough weekend,” junior outfielder Lewis Beals said. “We didn’t play well all around, specifically us hitters. If we plan on winning a lot of games this season we need to be better at the plate. Frankly, our pitching staff has carried us through our victories this year and we need to find a way to help them out.”
In game one, senior pitcher Will Gifford pitched six innings, but allowed three runs in the first inning after two hit-by-pitches and two singles. The Chargers had a total of five hits for the game, leaving two runners on base in the fifth and seventh innings.
“An off week and spring break couldn’t come at a better time for us, and we are going to take this next week as an opportunity to get healthy, recharge, and reevaluate our roles going into conference play,” head Coach Tom Vessella said. “We do not have any more time to waste. How we come out of this little time off will tell us everything about who we are as a team.”
Games two and three saw the Miners pulling ahead in the latter half of the game. Game two remained close until the Miners scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Chargers jumped to a 4-0 lead in the beginning and held the lead into the seventh inning until the Miners hit a walk-off grand slam.
“I felt pretty good this weekend on the mound,” sophomore pitcher Tommy MacLean said. “I struggled a bit more than other weekends in the third inning to stay consistent in the strike zone. I need to continue to get better each week and keep doing my best to give the team a chance to win.”
In game four, the Chargers opened the game with a run in the first inning, but the Miners responded with six runs in the bottom of the second and kept the pressure on for the rest of the game to win 14-4.
“We really struggled to be consistent on the mound and at the plate as a team,” MacLean said. “We need to continue to get better at staying focused on the task at hand and working towards the end goal. As a pitching staff, we need to stay confident and know that we are good enough to compete and stay locked in.”
The Chargers will play one game against Saginaw Valley State University March 14 in Saginaw County. They will play Trevecca Nazarene University in a four game series to open the Great Midwest Athletic Competition March 17-18. They will also play one game against Grand Valley State University March 22.
“This week in practice we will just be digging deep and grinding out reps to get ready for the conference schedule,” Beals said. “We’ve played some really good teams so far in our non-conference start to the year, and it has been a really good tune-up.”
Once players can put last weekend’s losses behind them, the team can focus on important G-MAC matchups, Beals said.
“We have to have the ability to mentally flush this weekend and turn our eyes to the part of our season that really matters, which is conference play,” Beals said. “I’m confident we will find our stride. We have talent, experience, and leadership. Can’t ask for much more.”
