If there was any doubt the Hillsdale College baseball team was ready to play ball on Saturday after a 353-day layoff, the Chargers laid that to rest quickly.
The Chargers rolled to two victories over host Maryville in St. Louis, Missouri, 5-2 and 1-0, thanks to three home runs and a special pitching performance in the nightcap by junior David Toth.
Toth pitched the first no-hitter by a Charger in over a decade, striking out 10 of the 22 batters he faced in seven innings to help secure the win for the Chargers. Just one walk in the second inning separated Toth from becoming the first Hillsdale pitcher to throw a perfect game since the Chargers joined NCAA Division II in 1990, but his performance still puts him on a very short list in Hillsdale history.
With Toth dealing on the mound, the Chargers didn't need much offense, and Jeff Landis provided enough in the second inning with a solo home run over the right-field wall for the winning run and the only run of the game. It was one of two hits for Landis in the contest, and Cooper Peterson, Steven Strachan III and Danny Passinault each added a single as well.
In the first game, Hillsdale jumped on Maryville early when an error by the Saints allowed Cody Kanclerz and Rob Zurawski to score in the top of the first inning, and the Chargers added another run to go up 3-0 on a sacrifice fly by Landis to score Kanclerz in the top of the third as well.
Maryville plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut Hillsdale's lead to 3-2, but the Chargers shut the door with a solo home run by Peterson in the top of the seventh, and another solo shot by Landis in the top of the eighth.
Aidan Brewer, Kanclerz and Joe Hardenbergh each finished with two hits for the Chargers, with Kanclerz adding a double and Hardenbergh a triple in the contest. Strachan added a single as well for the Chargers.
On the mound, Andrew Verbrugge was effective in five innings to earn the win for Hillsdale, striking out eight, walking three and scattering three hits, and James Krick pitched two innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts to earn the save. Freshman Nate Waligora pitched two innings of middle relief for the Chargers, striking out two and giving up five hits and two earned runs.
Hillsdale (2-0) wraps up the series with Maryville on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Central Time.