The Hillsdale College baseball team stunned the G-MAC South Division Champions in both teams' G-MAC Tourney opener on Wednesday afternoon, taking the lead in the third inning and never looking back in a 4-2 victory at Prasco Park.
The Chargers trailed 1-0 after the bottom of the first but found their groove offensively in the top of the third, stringing together three straight one-out singles to tie the game.
Gaard Swenson started the rally with a base hit,
Rocco Tenuta moved Swenson over on a single to left center, and
Will Lehman drove Swenson home with a left-field single to even the score at one-run apiece. After a strikeout,
Nolan Coppens put the Chargers ahead for good with a two-out single to score Tenuta and give the Chargers a 2-1 lead.
Tyler Sowers led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to increase Hillsdale's lead. Walsh put the pressure on late, getting multiple runners in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings and scratching a run across in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to cut the Chargers' lead to 3-2. Hillsdale answered back with an important insurance run in the top of the eighth, as a leadoff walk by
Ryan Wiehe, a wild pitch and a throwing error by Walsh allowed the freshman catcher to score and give Hillsdale a 4-2 advantage.
The Chargers held Walsh hitless over the final two innings, with
Patrick MacLean and
Josh Novak both surrendering a walk but stranding that baserunner at first by subsequently sending the Cavaliers down in order to end both innings and secure the victory.
Hillsdale outhit the favored Cavaliers 11-6 with a strong day at the plate. Sowers went 2 for 4 with his solo home run and Swenson added a single and a triple as well, while Tenuta and Lehman each chipped two hits in a strong showing for the top of the Chargers' lineup.
On the mound, starter
Jacob Pallo (6-4) was sensational in getting Hillsdale the opening round victory in the tournament, pitching six innings with four strikeouts, three walks and just four hits and one earned run conceded. Pallo gave up just two hits, two walks and no earned runs in the final five innings after working out of a first-inning jam.
MacLean went two innings with two strikeouts and one walk for the Chargers, and Novak earned his sixth save of the season, pitching the final inning with one strikeout and one walk.
Seventh-seeded Hillsdale improves to 22-27 overall and advances to a Pool A winner's bracket contest against third-seeded Findlay tomorrow at 10 a.m. The winner of that game advances to the Pool A championship game on Friday and will have a huge advantage in that contest, needing to win just one game to make the G-MAC Championship series, while their opponent will have to win twice.
