Program Home Run Record Falls in Hillsdale's Sweep of Trevecca

Program Home Run Record Falls in Hillsdale's Sweep of Trevecca

Game 3 box score: Hillsdale 7, Trevecca 2

Game 4 box score: Hillsdale 10, Trevecca 6

It says something about the recent success of the Hillsdale College baseball program that it broke a second conference's team home run record before breaking its own.

Both of those marks fell in the past week, but more importantly, they came in a key series win.

The Chargers captured a 3-1 series win over Trevecca Nazarene with a Saturday doubleheader sweep, winning by scores of 7-2 and 10-6 at Simpson Field. The sweep makes Hillsdale 21-23 overall and 15-13 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

With Alderson Broaddus hot on the heels of the Chargers for the No. 8 seed in the G-MAC postseason tournament, Hillsdale stepped forward with some terrific hitting and pitching in picking up wire-to-wire wins over the Trojans. The 3-1 series win helps keep the Battlers at bay, and Hillsdale controls its own postseason destiny when it hosts Ohio Dominican next weekend in the final four-game series of the regular season.

Starting pitchers Joe Hamrick and Andrew Verbrugge were terrific in games one and two, respectively on Saturday. 

Hamrick went all seven innings in Saturday's opener, allowing just one earned run with a pair of strikeouts. He was consistent, hit his spots and worked efficiently, getting his first win of the season.

Dante Toppi hit a three-run home run as part of a five-run first inning in game one for Hillsdale. James Krick went 2-for-4 and scored a run while Christian Rodino scored twice.

Charger hitters Steven Ring, Jake Hoover and Krick all went yard in game two. Hoover's leadoff opposite field home run was the team's 69th of the season, setting the team single-season record, last set in 2016.

Hoover went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in one. Ring's 3 RBI came courtesy of a three-run home run, a feat duplicated by Krick. Rob Zurawski brought in two runs.

Verbrugge earned his second win of the season on the mound, dealing seven strong innings with three strikeouts. Hillsdale led this game 10-0, but the Trojans made the final score closer with four unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning.

PHOTO: MaryKate Drews