After 35 games, the Chargers now have a conference record of 12-8.
The Chargers won the first doubleheader games 14-7 and 10-7. In the first game, sophomore first baseman Will Shannon hit a home run in the first inning and senior infielder Cody Kanclerz hit one in the third, putting Hillsdale at a five run lead. In the second game, junior outfielder Joe Hardenbergh hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Chargers a 3-0 lead — a lead they kept the entire game.
“We did exactly what we were supposed to do against Lake Erie,” junior outfielder Danny Passinault said. “We did a good job of capitalizing on their mistakes all weekend.”
The second doubleheader on Tuesday yielded similar results with the Chargers winning 19-3 and 20-3. The Chargers scored 13 runs in the fourth inning, and junior first baseman Nate Waligora hit a crucial grand slam during the fourth that put the Chargers up 11-1.
By the third inning of the second game, the Chargers had a six run lead because of homeruns hit by Shannon and Passinault in the first and third innings respectively.
Brewer hit a grand slam that helped the Chargers to a decisive win with a 11-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Chargers also scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth.
“We played as well as expected against Lake Erie,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “Even though they are at the bottom of the conference, we still needed to play up to our capabilities to sweep the series.”
Following the four wins against Lake Erie, the Chargers lost 9-4 in a game to Grand Valley State University April 19. The Chargers jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after a sacrifice fly from Kanclerz.
The Lakers took a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning after scoring five runs on five hits.
The Chargers will play Walsh University this weekend, April 23-24, in a four game series. They will also play one game against Wayne State University April 25. They held the lead for the rest of the game.
“There is always room for improvement regardless of the outcome, and I am sure many on our team would be able to find some instances where we can be better,” Vessella said. “Now we need to keep the momentum going into this weekend against a very good Walsh team.”
