The Hillsdale College baseball team nearly forced a split with visiting Cedarville on Friday, but couldn't hang on in the first game as the Yellow Jackets took both halves of a doubleheader to kick off a weekend series with the Chargers.

The Chargers rallied from a 6-4 deficit late in the first contest, taking a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-run single by Cooper Peterson and a RBI single by Aidan Brewer.

Hillsdale had a chance to close out the victory in the top of the ninth, but an error committed while trying to turn a potential game-ending double play allowed the tying run to score for Cedarville, and the Yellow Jackets scored twice in extra innings to secure the 9-7 victory.

Starter David Toth went four and two-thirds innings and struck out 12 batters, a number that allowed him to tie the Hillsdale single-season record for strikeouts of 82 set by Will Kruse in 2017, but exited with the no decision. Logan Simon pitched four and a third innings of relief with three strikeouts and two walks for Hillsdale, and Caleb Biedenharn pitched the 10th inning and took the loss for the Chargers.

Brewer went 3 for 4 with a triple, a home run and three RBIs to lead the Chargers at the plate, Peterson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs as well, and Cody Kanclerz chipped in two hits.

In the nightcap, the Chargers fell behind early on a Cedarville two-run home run in the top of the first inning and couldn't meaningfully close the gap the rest of the way, never trailing by less than three runs after the second inning in an 8-3 defeat.

Brewer hit another RBI single in the bottom of the second to get the Chargers on the board, and Jeff Landis hit a two-run home run, his 12th of the year, as well for Hillsdale.

Kanclerz chipped in two hits, including a double, in the second game as well for Hillsdale. Sawyer Allen took the loss on the mound, striking out six and walking four in five and two-thirds innings of work. Zane Barnhart pitched an inning and a third of relief, with a strikeout and two walks, as well for the Chargers.

Hillsdale falls to 15-19 overall and 11-15 in G-MAC play, and are now in a tight race with Malone and Findlay for the last two berths to the G-MAC Tournament, starting on May 12. The Chargers will get two more chances against Cedarville tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Simpson Field.

Photo by Summer Fields