The Hillsdale College baseball team picked up where it left off last weekend on Saturday, battling to a competitive split with one of the Midwest Region's top teams at the TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Chargers scored six runs in the fifth and sixth innings to rally and top Northwood, 7-4, in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, and got bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in the nightcap but couldn't push the winning runs across in a narrow 10-8 loss to split the day against the Timberwolves, picked to finish second in the GLIAC this season.
In the first game, Hillsdale rallied from a 1-0 deficit with a Jaekob Sallee triple in the bottom of the third to tie the game, and answered a 2-1 Northwood lead in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to pull ahead for good. Strong baserunning by Aidan Brewer led to a failed pickoff attempt that allowed Cooper Peterson to score from third and tie the game, and the Chargers pulled ahead on a ground out by Cody Kanclerz that scored Brewer and a sacrifice fly by Lewis Beals that scored Sallee to take a 4-2 lead.
Hillsdale tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, two on a two-run double by Brewer, and another on a ground out by Peterson that scored Joe Hardenbergh. Northwood got a run back in the seventh but Zane Barnhart was able to close the door and secure his first save of the season in an inning and a third of relief.
Tommy MacLean got the start for the Chargers and pitched five innings with four strikeouts, three walks, and four hits and one earned run surrendered to earn his first career victory in the seven innin contest. Logan Simon also pitched in relief for Hillsdale.
Brewer led the Charger hitters in Game 1, going 2 for 2 with two doubles, and Jeff Landis added two hits as well.
In Game 2, Hillsdale used a seven-run second inning, kicked off by a bases-clearing triple by Trey Haeger that scored three runs, to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Danny Passinault drove in Haeger on a fielder's choice, Kanclerz hit a RBI single to score Passinault, Nick Stepke hit a sacrifice fly to score Kanclerz and Lewis Beals scored on an error to add four more runs as well in the inning.
But Northwood came roaring back with seven runs over the next three innings to jump back out in front, 10-7, in the sixth inning. Stepke hit a RBI single to score Kanclerz in the bottom of the sixth to get a run back, but Hillsdale couldn't get the timely hit necessary to close the gap further, although it did load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give itself a chance.
Brendan Pochmara took the loss in long relief for the Chargers, pitching five innings with two strikeouts and three walks, including three scoreless innings after conceding three runs in the sixth. Will Gifford was the starter for Hillsdale and pitched two and a third innings with three strikeouts and three walks, and Nate Waligora struck out one in an inning and two-thirds of relief.
Brewer carried over his strong play from the first game with another impressive outing, going 3 for 5 at the plate, and Beals went 2 for 5 as well. Steven Strachan III hit a pinch hit double as well for the Chargers to put Hillsdale in postition to threaten in the ninth.
The Chargers are now 3-2 overall, and will face the Timberwolves again in another doubleheader tomorrow, looking for a strong finish to the weekend and momentum to carry into the rest of the season.
Photo by Anthony Lupi