The Hillsdale baseball team lost its series against Wayne State University this weekend, winning game one 11-0 but losing the last two 5-2 and 10-7. 

After nine games, the Chargers now have a total of 56 runs, a .259 team batting average, and a .363 on-base percentage. This weekend alone, the team collected 18 runs and hit three home runs in a strong offensive showing. 

“We are looking to improve on some situational stuff where we struggle to move runners or get a specific job done, but we keep having lots of scoring opportunities and it’s only a matter of time before we really start to convert them consistently,” senior shortstop Aidan Brewer said. “This weekend was a little bit of a setback but we still know what we can do and are excited to get back on it next weekend and keep improving.”

In game one, senior Will Gifford started on the mound and kept the Warriors scoreless for six innings. Junior pitcher Devin Murray closed out the game with another three scoreless innings. In four innings, Hillsdale scored seven runs on 11 hits against Wayne State All-American pitcher Ryan Korolden. 

“Will Gifford had another excellent start for us on Saturday,” Brewer said. “He keeps giving us a great chance to win every time he’s on the mound. At the plate, Jeff Landis and Jaekob Sallee had great weekends. It just seemed like they couldn’t miss this weekend. Seeing those guys keep rolling along with Joe Hardenbergh really starting to get hot is a great sign for us and makes us a really dangerous lineup to get through.”

Head coach Tom Vessella said the Chargers didn’t struggle to hit in game two; they just struggled to hit away from the outfielders. In game three, the Chargers put up seven runs, but were not able to emulate the Warriors’ ability to adjust to pitchers. 

“We had a little adversity this weekend and it will be important to focus on how we bounce back this week,” Vessella said. “Sometimes, weekends like that can put a charge into a team, or it can bring them down for the next series. I guess we will have to see. This team is full of great leaders and I’m confident they will come out ready to go this weekend against Missouri S&T.” 

The Chargers will play Missouri University of Science and Technology March 3-4 in Rolla, Missouri, in a four game series.  

“On Saturday, the team as a whole had probably one of the best combined performances since I’ve been here, everything was good hitting-wise and pitching-wise,” senior Jeff Landis said. “Sunday we just needed some more timely play. We were right in it in both games and a few moments could have heavily altered the outcomes. I’m pretty excited to play Missouri this weekend. I don’t know much about their team, but it’s always fun to play against guys you have never played before.”