The Hillsdale baseball team won all four games last Sunday and Monday against Tiffin University. Following his performance in the series, junior centerfielder Danny Passinault was named G-MAC player of the week.
After 26 games, the Chargers now have a conference record of 7-5. Across the four games last weekend they batted in 47 runs.
“It felt good to get a series sweep this weekend and put it all together,” sophomore first baseman Will Shannon said. “Our offense really came alive this weekend and it was fun to be a part of. Everyone did their job, and we found some success.”
The Chargers won both of the first doubleheader games 12-8 and 9-4. The first game had 20 hits, four homeruns, and six runs in the seventh inning alone. In the second game, the Chargers racked up five runs in the third inning, and senior pitcher Will Gifford gave up six hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
“This was a great weekend for our squad,” Passinault said. “We had a bunch of guys contribute in big ways at the plate and on the mound. This series felt like a turning point for our season.”
In both games, senior right fielder Lewis Beals hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning during his first at bat. Beals was hit by pitches in the two at bats following his home runs.
“I don’t know if there was any intent in him hitting me,” Beals said. “Last year, the exact same ‘coincidence’ happened. I hit a home run off of the same pitcher, and he came inside the next at bat. And then this year I hit a home run and he hit me twice in my two following at bats. I can’t get in his head, so I don’t know. But it struck me a little odd, pun intended.”
In the final two games, the Chargers won 16-12 and 10-3 respectively. The second inning of the first of these games featured four home runs, two from junior outfielder Joe Hardenbergh, and eight total runs for the Chargers. The Chargers took the lead in the second inning again during the second game and solidified the win in the fourth with six more runs.
“Everything came alive for us this past weekend,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “We pitched well when we needed to, consistently hit all weekend, and made big plays defensively when it counted. This was a team that we should beat more often than not, but regardless of who we play, it is very hard to sweep a four-game set in our conference.”
The Chargers will play Northwood University this weekend, April 7-8, in a four game series. They will also play one game against Central Michigan University April 11.
“We can’t settle and ride the high,” Beals said. “Northwood and CMU are phenomenal teams and we will need our absolute best, and that’s what we plan to bring. So far both squads have had success this year, more than Tiffin to this point, so we’ll need to come out guns blazing on both sides of the ball. All we can do is compete from the first inning to the last, every game.”
