On a different day from when the comeback originally started, the Hillsdale College baseball team finally finished off the rally to pick up a critical 10-9 win over host Tiffin on Sunday.
But the Chargers couldn't take advantage of that momentum in the remaining Sunday doubleheader, falling twice to the Dragons in low-scoring contests, 4-2 and 3-1, to finish the weekend at 1-3 overall against Tiffin.
The day opened with a promising start, as Hillsdale picked up in the top of the seventh inning in a 9-9 contest with the Dragons that had been halted due to darkness the night before. The Chargers had come back from 6-3 and 8-6 deficits already on Saturday, and jumped ahead in the restarted game, as sophomore Aidan Brewer hit a solo home run to break the tie and give Hillsdale a 10-9 advantage in the top of the seventh. Senior James Krick finished off the victory in the bottom of the seventh, striking out the final batter to punctuate the victory.
Key to claiming the victory in the final inning was catcher Jaekob Sallee, who caught a Tiffin baserunner stealing and rifled the ball to Brewer for the second out of the inning. The home run and critical out defensively was part of a solid game for Brewer, who went 2 for 4 at the plate to lead the Chargers. Krick, Jeff Landis and Danny Passinault each added two hits as well, while Zak Kent hit a two-run home run for the Hillsdale and Lewis Beals chipped in a solo home run.
Crick was the only Charger who pitched on Sunday in the win, but was one of three relievers Hillsdale deployed behind starter Paul Brophy, who pitched the first two and two thirds innings. Dillon Manion struck out three in two innings of relief, and Zane Barnhart struck out three in an inning and a third as well.
The win over the G-MAC's current leader in the standings was a morale boost for the Chargers, but Hillsdale couldn't get either of the games in Sunday's doubleheader following the conclusion of the restarted game from the night before.
In Game 2 on Sunday, the Chargers got a solid start from Will Gifford, who went all six innings and struck out 12 batters to just two walks, but Hillsdale managed just four hits and couldn't overcome a second-inning grand slam that gave Tiffin all the runs it needed in a 4-2 victory.
Hillsdale made a push in the top of the sixth to close the gap, with a RBI single by Zak Kent and a RBI double by Joe Hardenbergh to cut the deficit to two runs, but Hillsdale couldn't drive Hardenbergh in and went down in order in their final chance in the seventh.
In the final game in the series, Hillsdale held Tiffin to just three runs, but could only muster four hits and one run of their own in a 3-1 defeat. Pitcher Tommy MacLean struck out six and walked three in five and two-thirds solid innings, giving up just one earned run, but the Dragons took advantage of multiple Charger defensive miscues to scrape three runs across, taking the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Chargers scored their lone run in the contest in the top of the fourth inning, as Cody Kanclerz took advantage of a throwing error while runners were on the move to reach home safely. But Hillsdale stranded four runners, including three in scoring position, to come up just short.
Aidan Brewer went 2 for 4 at the plate with a double to lead the Chargers in the loss, and Beals and Hardenbergh each chipped in a hit as well,
Along with MacLean, relief pitchers Caleb Biedenharn, Chad Stevens and Brendan Pochmara combined to throw two and one-third scoreless innings, giving the Chargers a chance to pull the game out late.
Hillsdale is now 13-18 overall, and 6-10 in G-MAC play. While the Chargers' record isn't impressive on the surface, Hillsdale opened conference play with four straight series against teams that currently occupy the top four spots in the G-MAC standings, with three of those series being played on the road. All four of Hillsdale's remaining conference series take place at the friendly confines of Simpson Field, meaning Hillsdale will have an opportunity to play its way back into the G-MAC Tournament picture over the month of April.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop