It's clear the Hillsdale College softball team was excited to be playing on its home field for the first time in nearly two years on Saturday afternoon.

Playing its first home contests in 711 days, the Chargers used energy and tenacity to sweep past visiting Tiffin 16-9 and 6-1 to improve to 4-0 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play.

Hillsdale showed great heart in its game one victory, rallying from multi-run deficits to the Dragons three separate times over the course of the game before seizing control in the fifth and sixth innings.

Trailing 9-7 entering the bottom of the fifth, Renee Bielawa put the Chargers up for good with a two-run single to left center field, scoring Sarah Wojcik and Reagan Gensiejewski to give the Chargers a 10-9 edge.

Hillsdale put the game away in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Bielawa chipped in another RBI single and seniors Madison Stoner and Sam Catron hit back-to-back home runs, driving in a total of four runs combined.

Stoner and Catron each had a huge game, going 4 for 5 with a combined nine RBIs. On top of their home runs, Stoner also chipped in a RBI double and a two-run single, and Catron added a two-run single as well.

Hailey Holtman chipped in a RBI double as well, and Bielawa, Natalie Stepanenko and Wojcik each finished with two hits as the Chargers overcame a six-error outing to get the victory.

Dana Weidinger pitched a complete game to earn her 11th victory of the season for the Chargers, striking out eight, walking one and giving up four earned runs.

In the second game, Bielawa staked the Chargers out to an early lead, hitting a RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to put the Chargers up 1-0.

That was the only run scored in the first five innings as strong pitching efforts from Hillsdale's Julie Sayles and Tiffin's Claire Feldkamp kept both team's offenses off balance.

Hillsdale finally broke through and put the game away in the bottom of the sixth inning. Natalie Stepanenko hit a two-run double, Bielawa chipped in a two-run single, and Stoner hit a RBI double as the Chargers scored five runs to pull away.

Tiffin got a run back in the top of the seventh inning but it was too little, too late as Hillsdale got the outs it needed to complete the sweep.

Stepanenko was 3 for 4 at the plate with two doubles to lead the Chargers, and Bielawa, Stoner and Wojcik each chipped in two hits as well. 

Sayles had her best start of the season on the mound for the Chargers to earn her first win of the year, striking out three, walking none and giving up just four hits and no earned runs in a complete-game victory.

Hillsdale is now 16-10 overall and 4-0 in conference play, keeping pace with Trevecca Nazarene atop the G-MAC standings. The Chargers travel to Cedarville on Tuesday for a rare midweek conference doubleheader next.

Photo by Summer Fields