The Hillsdale College baseball team got stronger as the day wore on during an unexpected home doubleheader against Northwood on Friday, rallying for a 7-1 victory in the nightcap after an 8-4 defeat in the first game to split the pair of contests.

Friday's games were originally scheduled to be played at Northwood, but poor field conditions in Midland led the game to be moved to Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field on the Hillsdale College campus.

The Chargers couldn't overcome a slow start in the first game, as Hillsdale fell behind 5-0 in the first three innings and didn't record its second hit of the game until the top of the seventh.

That single in the seventh by Tyler Turner led to a run for the Chargers, as Billy Porotsky drove in Turner on a RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-1. 

That one run kicked off a furious comeback by the Chargers, who scored three runs in the top of the eighth to cut the deficit to 6-4. The Chargers strung together three straight hits -- a single by Rocco Tenuta, a double by Nolan Coppens, and a two-run single by Jake Figman -- to close within three runs, and Turner brought Hillsdale to a 6-4 deficit with a RBI single as well.

The strong top of the eighth gave Hillsdale hope of a comeback, but Northwood got two insurance runs in the bottom of the frame, and put the Chargers down in order in the ninth to secure the victory.

Tenuta and Turner each finished with two hits to lead the Chargers at the plate in the first game, and Turner added a stolen base. Brenden Smith (3-3) took the loss for the Chargers, striking out two and walking four in five innings of work, Winston Delp pitched two innings of relief with two strikeouts, and Hayden Hoffpauir pitched an inning of relief as well.

Although the first game comeback fell short, it gave Hillsdale some momentum at the plate entering the nightcap. The Chargers used that momentum to their advantage, scoring a run in the first three innings and never trailing.

Leadoff hitter Gaard Swenson got the Chargers started off on the right foot, smashing a solo home run to right centerfield in the first at bat of the game to give Hillsdale an edge. The Chargers continued to maufacture runs throughout, as Aaron Jasiak drove in a run in the second on a sacrifice fly and Jake Figman has a pair of sacrifice flies to score runs for Hillsdale in the third and fifth innings as well.

Northwood broke the shutout in the bottom of the fifth, pushing a run across to cut Hillsdale's lead to 4-1, but the Chargers got out of that jam and another one in the sixth without further damage, and put the game away with three runs in the top of the seventh, including a RBI double by Nolan Coppens and a RBI single by Tyler Turner.

Jacob Pallo (2-3) had a phenomenal start on the mound for the Chargers to earn the win, taking a one-hitter into the fifth inning and finishing five complete with four strikeouts, three walks and just four hits and one earned run conceded. Patrick MacLean and Josh Novak each pitched a scoreless inning of relief as well for the Chargers, with Novak not allowing a baserunner in the seventh inning. 

Tenuta led Hillsdale at the plate in the nightcap with three hits, including two doubles, and a stolen base, and Swenson and Coppens each chipped in two hits as well.

Hillsdale is now 13-15 on the season, 8-6 in G-MAC play and maintains its third-place spot in the North Division standings. The Chargers will face Northwood in the conclusion of the two teams' series in Midland on Monday, April 6 at 1 p.m.