The Hillsdale College baseball team is off to a 9-2 start — the best in program history — after the Chargers swept doubleheaders from both the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers and the Urbana University Blue Knights over the weekend, which stretched its current winning streak to seven games.
The winning streak has moved the Chargers into the No. 5 ranking in the Midwest according to D-II Baseball News. Ashland is the only GLIAC team ranked above Hillsdale.
The offense continued to click in Owensboro, Kentucky, where the Chargers scored at least 12 runs in three out of four games, resulting in GLIAC North Division Hitter of the Week honors for senior centerfielder Luke Ortel, a co-captain on the team. This is the second straight week in which a Charger has won the award.
Ortel went 10-for-17 on the weekend and recorded seven RBIs on his way to a 1.117 slugging percentage.
“It is always nice to be recognized, as both a player and a team,” Ortel said. “It has been good for us to get off to a hot start, and I think, with the hitters we have on this team, we will have somebody in contention for this award every week.”
While head coach Eric Theisen was pleased by the offensive output, he emphasized the performance of his pitching staff.
“We continued to swing it well, but our pitching really stepped it up this weekend,” he said. “I’ve talked a lot about how our pitching will come around and work up to full strength, and now we are seeing it really get closer.”
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan saw the Chargers allow two runs in the bottom of the first inning after blanking in their half of the frame. Hillsdale responded quickly in the top of the second, scoring three runs on RBIs from sophomore second baseman Alex Walts, senior shortstop Michael O’Sullivan, and senior third baseman Chris McDonald.
The next five innings saw a series of back-and-forth swings, and by the end of seven innings of regulation the score was tied 7-7 after four lead changes.
The Chargers bullpen was fantastic in the effort, throwing four combined innings, allowing no runs on only one hit.
Hillsdale blew the game wide open in the first extra inning, scoring five runs thanks to hits from five separate players, and walks from two more.
Junior Joe Chasen allowed only one walk in the bottom half of the inning, sealing the 12-7 victory for the Chargers.
The back end of Saturday’s doubleheader looked much different than the high-scoring affair that was the front end.
The Chargers struck first in the top of the second inning, taking advantage of some Panther miscues to plate one run, with freshman catcher Steven Ring recording an RBI. Kentucky Wesleyan was able to match this run in the bottom half of the inning.
Hillsdale scored three more times over the next three innings, thanks to one RBI from McDonald in the third, and two from senior rightfielder Connor Bartlett in the fifth.
This was enough run support for sophomore starter Will Kruse, who threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out six.
“I was pleased with my outing, and I just wanted to keep the team in it. It was really a great team win,” Kruse said. “I knew as long as I kept throwing strikes and getting people out, then our offense would put us into a position to win and that is exactly what they did.”
McDonald recorded his fifth save of the season with a perfect seventh inning, giving the Chargers the 4-2 triumph — their lowest scoring game of the season.
“It’s good to go out there and win a low-scoring game,” said Theisen. “It shows what this team is really capable of. It isn’t just a bunch of bats.”
On Sunday, the Chargers faced the Urbana University Blue Knights, and quickly returned to their high-scoring ways.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Chargers exploded for 12 runs over the next six innings, with hits coming from eight separate Chargers, while nine recorded RBIs.
Although Hillsdale held a six-run lead going into the bottom of of the seventh and final inning, the Blue Knights refused to go quietly, scoring three runs before the Chargers recorded an out.
McDonald, however, took over the rubber and shut down the Urbana rally, recording a save with three straight outs. The save is McDonald’s sixth of the season, and leaves him only one save off of the all-time single season school record.
“He has been our go-to guy in the late innings this year,” Theisen said. “He has done what we need him to do, and it has been great to see his success.”
After three hard-fought wins, the team dismantled Urbana in the final game of the weekend, notching a 13-2 victory in six innings.
“We just keep getting contributions from everywhere on the team,” Theisen said. “Everyone is playing their role and doing their part. It’s awesome.”
Freshman starter Jonathan Lapshan was tremendous in the game, striking out five over 4 1/3 innings, allowing only two earned runs on six hits. Senior Evan Chalker finished the job, throwing 1 2/3 perfect innings to close out the weekend.
Kruse said that the early success hasn’t put any extra pressure on the team, but that he also sees some danger in such a hot start.
“Having the best start in school history won’t win us games in the future,” he said. “We have to keep on playing hard and focusing on each and every game and not take anything for granted.”
The team will head to St. Charles, Missouri, this weekend for a four-game set against Maryville University.
“We have to keep sweating the little things this weekend,” Theisen said. “You can’t take success for granted.”
