The Hillsdale College baseball team's 2022 season came to a close on Saturday, but on a memorable and winning note.
The Chargers took two of three from visiting Malone on Saturday, finishing a suspended game from Friday as well as the regularly scheduled doubleheader, to win the series 3-1 over the Pioneers and finish the regular season at 22-26 overall, 14-18 in G-MAC play.
The final game of the season was a 9-1 Charger victory over Malone, one in which all five Hillsdale seniors got to play a part. Designated hitter James Krick went 2 for 3 at the plate with a double and a run scored, and, in his final at bat as a Charger, right fielder Steven Strachan III hit a bomb over the left field fence for a solo home run.
Fellow senior Cooper Peterson played the final inning in left field, catching a fly ball for an out, and both of Hillsdale's senior pitchers, David Toth and Marc Bergeron, each pitched an inning of relief. Toth struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning to finish his career third-all time in Hillsdale history in strikeouts with 199, while Bergeron didn't allow a baserunner in a scoreless seventh inning.
The Chargers jumped on Malone early in a six-run second inning to pull away. Aidan Brewer hit a two-run double and Nick Stepke, Joe Hardenbergh and Jeff Landis each added a RBI single as well for the Chargers in the bottom of the second.
After Malone got a run back in the top of the fourth, Landis struck again with a two-run double to stretch the lead to 8-1. Strachan's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth ended the scoring and was a fitting parting shot for the season for the Chargers.
Drew Olssen (2-2) went five innings with four strikeouts, two walks and just one earned run to earn the victory on the mound for the Chargers, while Brewer went 3 for 4 at the plate with a stolen base to lead Hillsdale's offense.
Hillsdale also won the first full game of the day, pulling off a 6-5 win in extra innings. After Stepke hit a single to reach base with one out in the bottom of the eighth, catcher Sean Nemetz hit a walk-off double off the left-field fence to score the winning run.
The Chargers gave up four runs in the top of the first to Malone to fall behind early, but Hillsdale quickly rallied, scratching across two runs in the bottom of the first on a fielder's choice by Landis and a sacrifice fly by Hardenbergh to cut into the deficit.
Hillsdale took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Stepke followed up a leadoff double by Strachan with a triple to score a run. Nemetz tied the game on a RBI single in the next at bat, and Landis added the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
It looked like that lead might be enough to get the Chargers the victory, but Malone got a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning and tie the game, forcing extra innings and setting up Nemetz' walk-off.
Krick (4-2) got the win in relief for the Chargers, pitching the final three innings with four strikeouts, no walks and just two hits and the run from the solo home run conceded. Tommy MacLean was the starting pitcher for Hillsdale and had a great bounce-back after a rough first inning, pitching four scoreless innings after that point and striking out four with no walks and just five hits conceded.
Stepke went 3 for 4 with a triple to lead the Chargers at the plate, Nemetz added his two RBI hits, and Brewer went 2 for 3 with a double as well for Hillsdale in the victory.
The Chargers opened the day by falling 4-2 to the Pioneers in the conclusion of a suspended game from Friday. The Chargers trailed 2-0 early but tied the game in the bottom of the third, on RBI singles from Landis and Hardenbergh. Both teams were scoreless through the next three innings until Malone broke through in the top of the seventh, driving in two runs on a bases-loaded single with two outs.
Hillsdale got the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh with two outs but couldn't find the final hit it needed to answer Malone's late rally.
Dillon Manion (0-2) took the loss in relief for Hillsdale. Manion relieved starter Paul Brophy, who pitched a solid game across two days, going six innings with one strikeout and just six hits and one earned run given up.
Danny Passinault and Hardenbergh each went 2 for 3 at the plate to lead Hillsdale in the loss.
While Hillsdale came up just short in its late push to make the G-MAC Tournament, the future is bright for the Chargers. Hillsdale will miss its five graduating seniors, but returns all eight of its every-day field players and all four of its starting pitchers next season. With a full offseason under head coach Tom Vessella, the Chargers will look to make a big leap in the G-MAC standings in 2023.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop