Game 1 box score: Hillsdale 3, Cedarville 1
Game 2 box score: Hillsdale 19, Cedarville 7
The Hillsdale College baseball team set a new single-season record for consecutive conference wins in taking both ends of a doubleheader from Cedarville University Saturday in Ohio.
The Chargers used a fine performance from Will Kruse in securing a 3-1 win in the opener. Hillsdale's bats carried the day in the nightcap in a 19-7 victory. The wins make Hillsdale 10-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and 13-14 overall.
Kruse was outstanding once again, going all nine innings with a season-high 12 strikeouts for Hillsdale in the opener. He was locating his pitches effectively and consistently got ahead of hitters. He threw 110 total pitches and saw 77 of them get called for strikes. He allowed no earned runs and issued just one walk and five hits in his gem of a win.
Dante Toppi opened the top of the second inning with a double, and scored off a double by Jake Hoover to put Hillsdale on top 1-0 in the first inning. Steven Ring provided an RBI double in the fifth and Colin Hites brought Hoover in with a single in the sixth for Hillsdale's offense in the opener.
Dylan Lottinville was 2-for-4 in the game one win for Hillsdale.
The Chargers exploded for 6 runs in the first inning of game two to quickly mount a big lead.
Toppi singled home Ring and Alex Walts to give Hillsdale a 2-0 lead. Hoover followed up one batter later with a single of his own to make it 4-0, and Ryan O'Hearn would score a run and drive in a run with a single of his own in the big opening frame for Hillsdale.
Hillsdale would score six times in the first, twice in the second and five more times in the third inning to build a 13-0 lead. Even the team's backup players put together impressive stat lines after they were inserted into the lineup.
Brendan Oosse drove in two with a double and Michael Mitchell had a hit and a run batted in. Chris Ackerman drove in one with a double.
Toppi was 2-for-2 with 3 RBI and Hoover was 2-for-2, driving in two. O'Hearn stole a base and was 2-for-3 with a run scored and 2 RBI.
Senior Phil Carey got the win on the mound for the Chargers. He went 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.