Gaard Swenson rounds the bases after hitting a home run. Courtesy | Ashley Van Hoose
Despite winning a 15-inning marathon game 14–9 — the longest game in Chargers history since formal recordkeeping began in 1998 — the Hillsdale baseball team dropped two of three games in its first series of the season to the University of Montevallo.
The series opened with a doubleheader Jan. 30, with Montevallo taking the first game 6–2.
In Game 2 of the doubleheader, the teams were tied at 6–6 after the ninth inning. The Chargers took the lead in the top of the 13th inning after a home run from sophomore outfielder Jake Figman, but the Falcons answered back in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own on an RBI single.
In the top of the 15th inning, the Chargers loaded the bases with one out after walks by freshman catcher Ryan Wiehe, Figman, and freshman outfielder Drew Law.
Sophomore infielder Billy Porotsky followed up with an RBI single, junior outfielder Tyler Turner batted in another run with a walk, and sophomore outfielder Gaard Swenson batted in two more with a single.
Junior infielder Rocco Tenuta capped off the inning with a three-run home run to extend the Chargers’ lead to 14–7.
“In the 15th inning of the second game, we were able to decipher the opposing pitcher,” Swenson said. “His pitches were nasty, but he struggled to throw his off-speed pitches competitively in the strike zone. That allowed us to sit on his fastball and crush it without worrying about the potential of swinging and missing at a competitive off-speed pitch.”
The Chargers allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning, but sealed the game when junior pitcher Winston Delp forced a groundout to end the game.
“This weekend showed us a lot about this team,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “We had a really strong offensive showing in the last two games, and it wasn’t just one person. A lot of different guys contributed up and down the lineup.”
Vessella said he was proud of the team’s resilience in Game 2.
“We never gave up,” Vessella said. “A lot of teams would have folded when Montevallo came back and tied it again in the 13th, but these guys stayed on an even keel and just kept playing. It was an exciting game to be a part of.”
Tenuta credited the pitching staff with keeping the game close to allow for the 15th-inning rally.
“We were having trouble getting runners on base until that last inning, but Pat MacLean and Winston Delp did a great job of keeping us in the game and letting our defense work in order to give our offense a chance to explode at the end,” Tenuta said.
The Chargers scored 14 runs again in the third game of the series, but lost 18–14 against the Falcons.
Swenson said the offense regrouped after the first game of the series and found success with a different approach in the final two games.
“We really found our strength in making minor swing adjustments throughout the weekend,” Swenson said. “In Game 1 we only scored two runs and had way too many strikeouts to be competitive. We put lots of emphasis on putting the ball in play in the second and third games, rather than swinging for the fences.”
Tenuta said the team’s performance in the first series was a good sign for the upcoming season.
“It was promising to see us compete the way we did in the first weekend, especially comparing this to our opening weekends in the past where we started out much slower,” Tenuta said. “I am really excited about how our young guys stepped up. Obviously, we still have a lot to improve upon, but I think we showed a glimpse of a lot of good things this weekend.”
The Chargers will travel to Harrogate, Tennessee, for a three-game series against Lincoln Memorial University Feb. 6-8. The team’s first home series will begin March 20.
