The Hillsdale College baseball team ran into a buzzsaw in Thursday's first-round GLIAC Tournament game.
Facing the conference regular season champions, and the GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Hillsdale was held to just two hits in a 14-0 first-round loss to Northwood University at Grady Field in Xenia, Ohio. The Chargers are now 24-25 on the season and will play an elimination game at 10:30 Friday morning against the losing team of the Grand Valley State-Wayne State matchup.
The only hits Hillsdale picked up were a first-inning single by sophomore Steven Ring and a ninth-inning double by sophomore Colin Hites. Inbetween, Northwood's Tyler Jandron shut the Hillsdale bats down, displaying the power and stuff that made him the conference's top hurler in 2017.
Although Northwood was not known as a power hitting team, it has a lineup that can hit in the gaps up and down the lineup, and the Timberwolves showed that form in Thursday. Northwood outhit Hillsdale 17-2, handing the Chargers their most decisive loss of the season.
Junior pitcher Will Kruse lost his first decision since mid-March, striking out three batters and allowing nine earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.