After letting a chance at victory slip through their fingers in the bottom of the seventh, the Hillsdale College baseball team wasn't going to have history repeat itself in extra innings in game two of a road doubleheader on Friday.

Host Malone had scored twice in the seventh to tie the game at eight runs apiece and keep the game going, but rather than be rattled, the Chargers came back swinging. Aaron Jasiak led off the top of the eighth with a sacrifice bunt to move the international tiebreak runner to third, and freshman Tyler Sowers delivered the clutch hit to score him and give Hillsdale a 9-8 edge.

With the game in the balance in the bottom of the eighth, Hillsdale closer Logan McLaughlin shook off a blown save from the inning before and shut the door to earn the victory, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a 1-2-3 inning that secured a 9-8 victory and salvaged a split in a series opening doubleheader at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton.

The nightcap was a back-and-forth game with multiple lead changes. Hillsdale struck first in the top of the second inning, plating five runs on five hits, including a two-run triple by Sowers, a RBI triple by Augie Hutchison, and RBI singles by Billy Porotsky and Rocco Tenuta.

Armed with a 5-0 lead, Hillsdale held Malone scoreless to the bottom of the fifth, when the Malone bats turned the tables with six runs to seize the lead.

Malone's advantage was short-lived, however, as Tenuta tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, Zak Kent put the Chargers ahead with a RBI single, and Will Millard hit a second sacrifice fly to give Hillsdale an 8-6 edge and set up the extra inning drama.

Sowers and Hutchison each led the Chargers with a single and a triple in the victory, Porotsky went 2 for 4 as well, and Wil Lehman chipped in a double in an 11-hit outing for Hillsdale.

McLaughlin piched three innings to earn the win in relief, striking out four and walking three. Gibson Cary started for Hillsdale and pitched four and a third innings with four strikeouts and four walks, and Andrew George made a relief appearance as well for the Chargers.

Hillsdale fell 5-2 to Malone in the first game of the day, unable to capitalize on a strong early start.

The Chargers scored first in the opener on a RBI single by Rocco Tenuta to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and, after Malone tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, retook the lead when Sowers scored again on a sacrifice fly by Zak Kent. When Malone pulled ahead 3-2 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, however, the Chargers were unable to respond, and the Pioneers added two more insurance runs in the eighth.

Hillsdale got two runners in scoring position to lead off the top of the ninth, with the tying run at the plate, but was unable to get the hit it needed to challenge Malone's lead.

Will Millard led Hillsdale in the loss with a single and a double, and Sowers and Tenuta each chipped in two hits as well.

Daniel Higdon (0-2) took the loss on the mound for Hillsdale despite another solid outing, going six innings with three strikeouts and just two walks, five hits and three earned runs conceded. Hayden Hoffpauir finished the game for Hillsdale, striking out two and walking one in two innings.

Now 7-10 overall and 1-1 in G-MAC play, Hillsdale plays another doubleheader on Saturday at Malone looking to potentially take the series with two wins and finish the opening weekend in conference play above .500. 

Photo by Steve George