Game 1 box score: Hillsdale 8, Northwood 7
Game 2 box score: Northwood 15, Hillsdale 1
The Charger baseball team finally took the field in the friendly confines of Simpson Field Saturday afternoon, and came away with a split against one of the GLIAC's top teams.
Hillsdale earned a split with Northwood University, winning game one 8-7 before falling in the nightcap 15-1. The Chargers are 11-14 overall and 4-6 in GLIAC play, and resume their series with the Timberwolves at noon Sunday.
In 2016, Hillsdale set a GLIAC record for home runs by a team in a single season, and Saturday afternoon, some of that power was back on full display. The team hit three home runs in its game one win, and four overall for the day, coming from four different batters.
After falling behind 5-2, the Chargers struck for three runs in the third and fourth innings to take the lead for good.
Ethan Wiskur and Dylan Lottinville each belted two-run home runs, while Colin Boerst had a solo shot, all of them easily sailing over the left field fence. Lottinville's blast scored Wiskur, and turned out to be the game-winning RBI.
Junior pitcher Will Kruse persevered through a potent Timberwolves lineup, and picked up the win with 5.1 innings pitched that featured five strikeouts. Junior Phil Carey came through with some clutch relief pitching, retiring all five batters he faced to pick up the save.
Wiskur scored three runs in the opener, while freshman Dante Toppi was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run batted in. Sophomore Colin Hites also made a series of impressive plays in the field, including throwing out a runner at home in the sixth inning of the win when Hillsdale held a one-run lead.
Steven Ring's solo home run was the only highlight of a lopsided game two loss. Northwood outhit Hillsdale 19-7 in the game. Senior Jared Piper had a pinch hit double for the Chargers, and Wiskur was 2-for-4 with a double.