The Hillsdale College baseball team's Cinderella run through the 2021 G-MAC Tourney came to a close on Friday night, one step short of the championship game.
The Chargers, however, didn't go down without a fight.
Hillsdale blasted three home runs in the first four innings to take a 4-0 lead over Tiffin in an elimination game contest to determine top-seeded Trevecca Nazarene's opponent in the Saturday championship game.
But Tiffin used a four-run sixth inning to tie up the contest, then tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to secure a 7-4 win and end the Chargers' season.
First baseman Jeff Landis got the Chargers off to a great start, following up a leadoff single by Cody Kanclerz with a home run, his 15th of the season, off of the right field foul pole to put the Chargers up 2-0 in the top of the first.
Hillsdale built on that lead in the top of the fourth, with freshmen Aidan Brewer and Joe Hardenbergh hitting back-to-back home runs to give the Chargers a 4-0 edge.
But as the game wore on, Hillsdale struggled to find insurance runs, leaving the door open for Tiffin to mount a comeback. The Dragons took advantage of seven Hillsdale walks and two hit batters to pull ahead in a game where the Chargers outhit Tiffin 10-8.
Landis finished 2 for 3 with a double as well as the home run to lead the Chargers at the plate, Jaekob Sallee added a single and a double and Kanclerz finished with two singles as well.
David Toth earned the loss in relief for the Chargers, one of five pitchers Hillsdale used in the contest. Sawyer Allen got the start, pitching five scoreless innings for Hillsdale before conceding four earned runs in the fifth. Logan Simon closed the game, pitching the final inning and two-thirds as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale took its first loss in the tournament earlier that afternoon, falling 9-1 to Trevecca Nazarene in a result that propelled the Trojans into the Saturday championship game.
The Chargers never found the offensive traction they needed against Trojan starter Drew Pierce, and never recovered from a five-run second inning by Trevecca that allowed the Trojans to seize control early on.
Hillsdale scored its lone run of the contest in the top of the eighth, when Kanclerz hit a RBI single to score Hardenbergh immediately following a triple by the freshman to get on base.
Landis chipped in a double for the Chargers, while James Krick took the loss for Hillsdale, going four and a third innings with three strikeouts and two walks. Brendan Pochmara pitched the remainder of the game for the Chargers, going three and two-thirds innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
Hillsdale finishes the season at 21-23 overall, after a strong run in the G-MAC Tourney that saw the Chargers pull two upsets and finish as one of the last three teams standing. The future looks bright for the Chargers, who have to replace seniors Rob Zurawski and Andrew Verbrugge, but look to return almost all of their lineup, as well as starter David Toth and virtually all of the team's bullpen, while getting back several players who missed most or all of the season with injuries in 2021.
Photo by Ralph Schudel