Sophomore Brenden Smith pulls back to throw ball.
Courtesy | Ashley Van Hoose

The Chargers suffered four losses against No. 6 nationally Grand Valley State University in Marion, Illinois Feb. 27-March 1, dropping the team’s season record to 3-7.

“We need to be better,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “We didn’t play good baseball at times, and a good opponent showed us what happens when you make mistakes.”

The Chargers lost the first game of the series 20-2, with a two-run home run by junior third baseman Rocco Tenuta accounting for the team’s only runs.

Tenuta went 4-for-10 at the plate with five walks in the series, including a 3-for-3 day in the first game.

Sophomore outfielder Gaard Swenson said the series gave the team an opportunity to learn from facing good pitchers.

“The Grand Valley pitchers were able to find our weaknesses, but now we know what to work on most,” Swenson said. “We will be much better when it comes to conference play.” 

The Chargers gave up fewer runs in each successive game, losing the second game 10-1. In the third game, the Chargers lost 7-2, but only allowed Grand Valley to score runs in the third inning. 

“You need to tip your cap to Grand Valley,” Vessella said. “They are a very talented and experienced team that took advantage of every free pass we gave them both on the mound and at the plate. It was a great test for us before conference play.”

Vessella said the pitchers improved their command over the course of the series.

“We threw more strikes,” Vessella said. “The story of this series really came down to how many free bases we gave up and one big inning.”

Junior pitcher Logan McLaughlin pitched the final game, giving up two runs over six innings of work and only surrendering two walks in a 3-0 Chargers loss.

“I felt great in Sunday’s game,” McLaughlin said. “I felt like I was able to locate any pitch I wanted in any count for a strike. We knew we were facing a good team in Grand Valley, so it was important for us to execute at a high level.” 

The Chargers will next face the University of Missouri St. Louis on the road March 6-8.