Freshman shortstop Aidan Brewer ended the Hillsdale College baseball team's two-year absence from Prasco Park and the G-MAC Tournament with one swing of the bat on Friday.
Brewer hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to seal an 11-9 victory over visiting Findlay, Hillsdale's second win over the Oilers on the day, and in the process lock up the Chargers' spot in the G-MAC baseball tournament next weekend.
With two victories over Findlay on Friday, the Chargers are now three games ahead of the Oilers for the eighth and final spot in the G-MAC tournament field with two games left in the regular season. Hillsdale finished one spot out of qualifying for the tournament in 2019, and was unable to compete for a spot in 2020 after the season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic before conference play began.
Brewer's walk-off capped a wild, back-and-forth second game. The Chargers plated six runs in the first two innings -- keyed by home runs from senior Rob Zurawski and freshman Nick Stepke, as well as RBI singles from Brewer, Zurawski and sophomore Cooper Peterson -- to take a massive early lead.
But the Oilers chipped away, getting back in the game with a three-run home run in the top of the third inning, and taking a 7-6 lead in the top of the sixth.
Zurawski hit his second home run of the game, a two-run shot, to help put the Chargers back in front, 9-7, in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Findlay spoiled the Chargers' chance of putting the game away in the top of the seventh by scoring two runs.
That set the stage for Brewer's walk-off bomb to end the contest.
Zurawski went 3 for 4 to lead the Chargers at the plate in the win, and Cody Kanclerz, Stepke, Peterson and Brewer each chipped in two hits as well.
Andrew Verbrugge earned his fifth win of the season in his first relief appearance of the year for the Chargers, pitching the seventh inning with one walk and one earned run. Sawyer Allen got the start and went four innings, striking out one and walking one, and James Krick pitched two innings of relief as well, with one strikeouts and one walk.
The Chargers got off to a fast start in the first game of the day as well, with Joe Hardenbergh hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning and a solo home run in the bottom of the third to help Hillsdale build a 5-0 lead. Hardenbergh's two-home run outing came just one game after a G-MAC record-tying three home run outing against Cedarville last weekend.
Stepke added a RBI single in the bottom of the first inning and Jeff Landis chipped in a RBI single in the bottom of the second as well for Hillsdale.
Findlay attempted a comeback, cutting the Charger lead to 5-3 in the top of the eighth, but Hillsdale shut down the Oilers the rest of the way to secure a 5-3 victory.
David Toth had a strong outing to pick up his third win of the season for the Chargers, pitching seven innings, striking out nine, walking two and giving up no earned runs. His first strikeout of the contest gave him 83 for the season, breaking the old Hillsdale single-season record of 82 set by Will Kruse in 2017. Toth is now at 91 with at least one more start on the season in the G-MAC Tourney.
Logan Simon closed the game for the Chargers, pitching two innings to earn his third save of the year, with one strikeout and no walks.
Stepke and Peterson each finished with two hits in the contest, and Kanclerz added a double as well.
At 18-20 overall and 14-16 in the G-MAC, Hillsdale is currently in seventh place entering tomorrow's regular-season-ending doubleheader against Findlay at 1 p.m., a game ahead of eighth-place Malone.
With two wins over the Oilers, the Chargers could finish as high as sixth in the final standings, though Hillsdale would need Trevecca Nazarene to complete a sweep of the current sixth-place team, Cedarville, tomorrow as well in order for that to happen.
Photo by Summer Fields