In a game where the Hillsdale College baseball team trailed by as many as five runs, all it took for the Chargers was one glorious inning to turn the tables on visiting Ashland in a 10-7 win on Thursday night.

Playing under the lights at Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field, Hillsdale stunned the G-MAC-leading Eagles with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to not only win the series opener, but lock up the Chargers' bid to the G-MAC Tournament next week at Prasco Park.

Ashland led for seven and a half innings and seemed in firm control of the game, scoring twice in the top of the first inning and building a six run lead through five complete innings. Hillsdale senior Augie Hutchison kept the Chargers in contention, first with a solo home run in the second inning, and then with a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to score Zak Kent and Will Lehman, but Hillsdale still entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing by three runs.

Walks by Rocco Tenuta and Zak Kent to start the eighth might have been an omen for the Chargers, as Ashland's pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, and, when they did, found Hillsdale bats waiting. The Chargers had hits in five of the next six at bats after the opening pair of walks, including four straight, to erase the deficit and take an 8-7 edge. Will Millard, Gaard Swenson and Aaron Jasiak each hit a RBI single for the Chargers, Hutchison drove in a run on a groundout, and John Hunter drew a bases loaded walk for Hillsdale in the frame. Rocco Tenuta, batting for the second time in the inning, ended the rally with a sacrifice flu to score Billy Porotsky and put Hillsdale up 10-7 and just three outs away from victory.

Hayden Hoffpauir pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal the deal, setting Ashland down in order and closing the contest with a strikeout to earn his third save of the season. 

Andrew George (3-1) earned the win in relief for Hillsdale, pitching a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Daniel Higdon was the starter and pitched four and two-thirds innings for Hillsdale, and Winston Delp also appeared in relief for the Chargers in the victory.

Augie Hutchison had a huge day to lead the Chargers at the plate, driving in four runs on two home runs and finishing with five total RBIs in the contest. Tenuta, Lehman and Millard each finished with multiple hits as well for Hillsdale in the victory.

The Chargers improve to 23-24 overall, and 16-13 in the G-MAC. The win locks up a G-MAC Tournament bid for the Chargers, as the current ninth-place team in the standings, Lake Erie, can only tie Hillsdale and the Chargers own the tiebreaker with a 3-1 record against the Storm in a series earlier this season.

Hillsdale next will play a doubleheader with two seven-inning contests tomorrow, beginning at 1 p.m., against the Eagles, while also celebrating Alumni Day.