The Hillsdale College baseball team had a dominant offensive performance in the first game of a home doubleheader on Friday against Thomas More, but the bats went quiet in the nightcap as the Chargers settled for a split with the Saints.
Hillsdale put on one of its best performances of the season in game one, pounding out 18 hits and shutting out Thomas More in a 15-0 run-rule victory. The Chargers came out of the gates hot, scoring seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the first to take a massive early lead.
Gaard Swenson had a bases-clearing double in the first inning for Hillsdale, scoring three runs,
Billy Porotsky addded a RBI triple, and
Will Millard and
Aaron Jasiak each chipped in a RBI hit as well.
The Chargers kept the pressure on offensively, scoring runs in four of the next five innings to trigger the run-rule. Jasiak added a second RBI single and
Tyler Sowers chipped in a RBI double in the bottom of the third, Millard hit a RBI triple and Swenson a RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, and
Will Lehman added a RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
Kaden Nowak put a bow on the victory in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run single.
Swenson went 3 for 3 at the plate with two doubles, and Lehman added three hits as well for the Chargers, who had six players finish with multiple hits in the victory.
Daniel Higdon (2-2) earned the win for Hillsdale with a strong performance on the mound, pitching six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and four walks.
Brenden Smith finished the game for the Chargers and protected the shutout with a scoreless final inning of relief.
After 18 hits in the opener, Hillsdale couldn't ride the momentum in the nightcap, posting just four hits and only one run a 2-1 loss to the Saints in the second game.
Will Millard hit two doubles to give Hillsdale two of their four hits, including a RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Chargers made a late push to overcome the deficit and walk off the game in the final inning. But Hillsdale couldn't get the tying run home from second, with Millard being erased on a fielder's choice on the next at-bat. The Chargers went down in order from there to seal the loss.
Thomas More led from early on, scoring a run on a RBI single in the first inning to quickly pull ahead after going scoreless in the opener. The Saints added an insurance run in the fifth, and kept Hillsdale off balance, recording two double plays to end threats when Hillsdale did get runners on in the contest.
Billy Porotsky and
Aaron Jasiak each had a hit as well for Hillsdale.
Gibson Cary (1-2) was the hard-luck loser for the Chargers, striking out four, walking none and giving up just one earned run in four innings.
Patrick MacLean finished the game for Hillsdale, striking out two and walking one in three innings of action.
Hillsdale is now 12-13 overall, 6-4 in the G-MAC after today's contests, and will look to get over .500 on the season tomorrow with two more games against the Saints to conclude the weekend series. First pitch on Saturday between the Chargers and Thomas More is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Photo by Steve George
