With a perfect week against Saginaw Valley and Northwood, the Hillsdale College baseball team (28-14, 16-8 GLIAC) set a school record for its most wins in a season, and clinched a spot in the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2003. The Chargers have won seven games in a row.
“I couldn’t tell you how happy I am for these seniors. We had a great shot last year and we just couldn’t keep everybody healthy,” head coach Eric Theisen said. “This was the vision when they got here four years ago, and they’re have done a great job. I couldn’t be more happy for them or more proud of them.”
The seniors congratulated Theisen with a Gatorade shower after the game.
“We worked harder than ever during this offseason and it’s great to see that paying off now,” senior first baseman Chris McDonald said.
After a four-game sweep of Saginaw Valley over the weekend, senior outfielder Luke Ortel was named GLIAC North Division Player of the Week — his second time receiving the honor this season. Ortel went 15-for-25 on the week, knocking in seven runs.
“We have always known that he could be this kind of hitter, and it’s great to see him stay healthy enough to do it,” Theisen said, adding that Ortel — who is batting .481 on the season — is one of the toughest outs in the country.
In their first game against the Northwood Timberwolves yesterday, the Chargers jumped to an early lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-run home run by senior leftfielder Tad Sobieszczanski and an RBI double from senior rightfielder Connor Bartlett.
After Northwood took a one-run lead in the top of the fifth inning, freshman Steven Ring tied the game with a pinch-hit RBI double.
The score was tied when Bartlett led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single. After a single by senior catcher Joe Gentile and a sacrifice bunt by sophomore pitcher Colin Hites, freshman shortstop Colin Boerst knocked the walk-off single.
The Hillsdale offense refused to be silenced in game two against Northwood, with eight different Chargers claiming at least one hit, including two home runs from Tad Sobieszczanski, as well as one from both McDonald and sophomore second baseman Alex Walts.
According to Bartlett, the mood in the locker room after the game was celebratory.
“If you haven’t seen the running man challenge, google it, because that’s pretty much what it was,” he said. “That mixed with an MLB team clinching a spot in the playoffs. It was hype.”
Theisen pointed to the depth of the team as one of its greatest strengths.
“We’re in some big situations and we have some young guys who love those big situations,” he said. “They love the tie games and the late-inning comebacks.”
Before hosting Northwood last night, the Chargers welcomed the Saginaw Valley Cardinals to Hillsdale for a four-game set, all of which were won by the home team, earning them the No. 6 ranking in the Midwest region according to the NCAA.
Sophomore Will Kruse started the first game against the Cardinals, allowing four runs — none earned — on six hits in five innings of work.
The real drama started in the top of the seventh when the Cardinals scored two runs to take a 5-4 lead. In the bottom half of the inning — after a McDonald RBI sacrifice fly — the Chargers once again walked-off when Gentile reached on a throwing error by the Cardinals.
“Pretty much every game when we’re down at least two or three people will say, ‘We’ll score,’” assistant coach Shane Armstrong said.
Game two was another hard-fought victory, with McDonald homering in the bottom of the eighth inning to score the eventual game-winning run.
Ortel, Sobieszczanski, McDonald, and Walts each recorded three hits in the game. Gentile added two hits to his season total in the game, while junior designated hitter Ethan Wiskur, freshman third baseman Cam Maxwell, and freshman shortstop Jacob Hoover all tallied one hit each.
Senior Evan Chalker and Wiskur combined to throw a scoreless final two frames for Hillsdale, clinching a 9-8 victory.
The drama continued on Sunday, when the two teams played their third-straight one-run game, with the Chargers coming out on top 5-4.
Freshman starter Chris Stewart threw a seven-inning complete game, allowing four runs — three earned — on seven hits.
After the Cardinals went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, the Chargers came to the plate with the score tied 4-4.
After a walk by Hoover, Ortel knocked an RBI double, giving the Chargers yet another walk-off victory.
Theisen said that the team loves playing these types of close games.
“The very first weekend of the year at Paine we played some exciting games,” Theisen said. “And we talked about it, we said, ‘You can only hope that every series we play is that exciting.’ We love it, and they do a great job. They just eat it up.”
Hillsdale was dominant in the series finale, finishing the sweep with a 12-5 win.
Hites relieved the starter Maxwell — two earned runs in two innings pitched — on the mound, hurling five innings of shutout, three-hit ball, earning one of his two wins on the week.
When all was said and done, eight different Chargers had touched home plate, and seven had tallied at least one hit — including home runs from Ortel and Bartlett — on their way to the 12-5 victory.
The Chargers will travel to Grand Valley this weekend for a four-game set against the second-place Lakers, as they continue to compete for the No. 1 seed in the GLIAC tournament.
“The clinch is great, and we’re going to enjoy it and celebrate it, but our journey isn’t over yet,” Theisen said.
As the Chargers look forward to the postseason, Theisen explained that the message to the team is the same as it has been all year long.
“The message is, ‘Enjoy the time we get to spend together out on the field, because it doesn’t last forever,’” he said.
