The Hillsdale College softball team saw its 14-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, as visiting Trevecca Nazarene put crooked numbers up on the scoreboard in both games to take 8-0 and 11-2 victories over the Chargers.
Hillsdale fell prey to big innings in both defeats. The Chargers were perfect through three innings in game one, but two infield hits and two walks in the fourth inning kicked off a six-run inning for Trevecca, who finished the fourth with six hits and took advantage of a Hillsdale error to take a lead they would not relinquish. A two-run home run in the sixth by the Trojans provided the winning margin.
Freshman Sydney Davis was 3 for 3 at the plate to lead the Chargers offensively in the loss, providing much of Hillsdale's offensive output. Joni Russell took the loss for Hillsdale, striking out five and walking two in three innings of work, and sophomore Mackenzi Maxson pitched three innings of relief for the Chargers, with four strikeouts and no walks.
In the second game, a second-inning grand slam by the Trojans with two outs changed the complexion of the game and gave Trevecca a lead it would hold to the finish. The Chargers got two runs back in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Grace Wallner and Emma Vis, but Trevecca shut the door on a comeback attempt with four more runs in the top of the fifth.
Erin Kapteyn took the loss for Hillsdale, striking out one and walking three in two innings, and Maxson threw three innings of relief, with two strikeouts and a walk as well.
Hillsdale falls to 20-10 with the losses, and are 6-2 in G-MAC play. The Chargers are now tied in the loss column with Trevecca, though at 10-2 and with the series sweep the Trojans have both tiebreakers currently. This is the first time Hillsdale has been swept in a conference series since 2019, ending a streak of over three consecutive seasons of taking at least one win from every conference foe.
The Chargers will look to regroup with an important nonconference series on Tuesday, as Hillsdale travels to the current seventh-ranked team in the nation and the defending Midwest Regional champion, Grand Valley State, for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Hillsdale will return to conference play next Saturday with a home doubleheader against Cedarville, slated to start at 1 p.m.
Photo by Morgan Hoverman