The Hillsdale College baseball team took the fifth-ranked Trevecca Nazarene Trojans to the wire to close out this weekend's series on Saturday, threatening to take both games of the doubleheader.

Ultimately, however, the Chargers couldn't pull out either game, proving unable to add to their upset win on Friday night in a hard-fought series with the Trojans.

Hillsdale managed just two hits in the first game of the day, but still nearly pulled off the victory in a 5-4 extra inning loss.

Both of Hillsdale's hits came in quick succession in the top of the second inning, as junior Cody Kanclerz singled to right field with two outs, and sophomore Danny Passinault hit a double down the right field line to drive him in to get the Chargers on the board first. 

With the game tied at one apiece, the Chargers took advantage of an error and a rough inning on the mound for Trevecca in the top of the fifth, loading the bases and scoring three runs on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch to take a 4-1 lead without a single hit.

But Trevecca answered back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs of their own, and the Chargers were unable to get the go-ahead run across in either of the next two innings or in the top of the extra eighth inning. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Trojans took advantage of a Hillsdale error and hit a walk-off single to take the win.

Junior Will Gifford had another strong start for the Chargers, going five innings with six strikeouts and three walks, while sophomore Zane Barnhart (1-2) took the loss in relief, going two and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts, no walks and just the one unearned run given up in the bottom of the eighth.

Undaunted, the Chargers came back swinging in the nightcap, taking a 1-0 lead immediately on a solo home run by Lewis Beals in the top of the first inning. Hillsdale tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third on a RBI double by sophomore Jeff Landis and a RBI single by Steven Strachan III, and built a 5-1 lead in the top of the fourth with two runs, one on a RBI single by Beals.

But Hillsdale couldn't hold off a determined Trevecca rally, as the Trojans plated seven runs over the next two innings to take an 8-5 lead, then held off the Chargers over the final two innings for the victory. Hillsdale had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't string together the clutch hits it needed to rally.

Beals and Landis both went 2 for 4 to lead the Chargers at the plate in the loss, and sophomore Jaekob Sallee also finished with multiple hits.

Dillon Manion took the loss in relief for the Chargers, striking out two and walking two in an inning of work. Tommy MacLean got the start for Hillsdale, pitching four innings with four strikeouts and four walks, and Chad Stevens pitched a scoreless inning of relief as well.

Hillsdale is now 11-15 overall, 5-7 in the G-MAC and has a short turnaround to a midweek non-conference contest at home against a tough Wayne State team on Tuesday.

Photo by Gwen Buchhop