Game 3 box score: Hillsdale 15, Tiffin 9
Game 4 box score: Hillsdale 3, Tiffin 2
The two-day wait to finish the series with Tiffin University turned out to be well worth it for the Hillsdale College baseball team.
Tuesday afternoon in Ohio, the Chargers and Dragons completed a suspended game from Sunday, which turned out to be a 15-9 Hillsdale win. In game two, freshman Chris Stewart (pictured) got his second win of the season and senior Chris McDonald recorded his NCAA-leading 10th save in a tight 3-2 win, giving Hillsdale the 3-1 series victory over Tiffin.
Hillsdale is now 17-9 overall and 5-3 in the GLIAC. The 17 wins equals the Chargers' win total from each of the past two seasons.
Tuesday's first game resumed in the seventh inning with Hillsdale holding a 12-8 lead. In Sunday's part of the game, the Chargers launched four home runs in building that initial lead, one that would stand up through Tuesday.
McDonald, Ethan Wiskur and Connor Bartlett all collected three hits in the game one win. McDonald and Wiskur each scored three runs, while Tad Sobieszczanski, McDonald, Wiskur and Michael O'Sullivan all went yard. It was Gentile's first career home run.
This game started with a bang, with the Chargers holding a 9-5 lead after just two full innings. Tuesday, the team tacked on three runs in the top of the ninth to give it some breathing room.
Chris Stewart won both games on the day for Hillsdale, the first in a relief effort. He tossed two innings with just one hit allowed during the Sunday part of the contest.
In game two, Stewart toughed his way through seven innings with a season-high six strikeouts and just one earned run allowed in the 3-2 win. McDonald extended his own single-season record with his 10th save, this one of the two-inning variety.
The second game was 1-1 until the eighth inning, when senior Luke Ortel stepped up with a two-out, two-run single that scored Colin Boerst and Gentile with the game-deciding runs. The Dragons scored on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, but McDonald would allow no more, striking out one.
Sobieszczanski and Wiskur were each 2-for-5 while Gentile continued his strong play by going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale is scheduled to host its first games of the season this weekend, hosting Northwood starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.
PHOTO CREDIT: Wayne State University athletics