The Hillsdale College baseball team pushed the seventh-ranked team in the nation, Wayne State, to the limit on Tuesday afternoon but fell late as the Warriors plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth to take an 11-10 victory.
Tuesday's game was a make-up contest from February 26, as weather kept the Chargers and Wayne State from finishing a four game series down in Tenessee early in the season. The midweek contest was the fourth game from the series, which Wayne State took in narrow fashion after Hillsdale won the opener on Feb. 25.
On Tuesday, Hillsdale's offense came to play, pounding out 10 runs on 18 hits against one of the better pitching staffs in the Midwest Region. After falling behind 2-0 early, Hillsdale plated two runs in the top of the third inning, one on a Joe Hardenbergh solo home run, to tie the game.
The Chargers took the lead with a five run top of the fourth inning, as junior Danny Passinault hit a two run triple and scored from third on a ground out, and Hardenbergh and senior Cody Kanclerz each added a RBI single in a seven-hit inning.
Wayne State scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at seven apiece and took an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but Hillsdale surged back ahead in the top of the seventh, plating three runs on a RBI double by Aidan Brewer, a RBI single by Lewis Beals, and a sacrifice fly by Kanclerz to score Beals.
Hillsdale took a 10-9 edge into the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to complete the upset, but Wayne State was able to load the bases, tie the game on a sacrifice fly, and find the walk-off single with two outs to pull out a narrow victory.
Hardenbergh had a huge night for the Chargers at the plate, going 5 for 5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs, while sophomore Will Shannon chipped in three hits. Aidan Brewer added two doubles, Passinault chipped in a double and a triple, and Nick Stepke added a double for Hillsdale.
Dillon Manion took the loss in relief for the Chargers, and Brandon Scott, Caleb Biedenharn, Brendan Pochmara, Kolin Endres and Devin Murray all pitched for the Chargers on a staff day for Hillsdale. Pochmara recorded two strikeouts, no walks, two hits and one earned run conceded for the Chargers in two innings of relief, and Murray pitched a scoreless, hitless eighth inning for Hillsdale as well.
Hillsdale falls to 19-22 with the loss, and next travels to Akron, Ohio this Saturday for the start of a four game series with G-MAC North rival Malone, with a doubleheader at the University of Akron in a neutral-site contest. At 14-10 overall, Hillsdale can clinch a berth in the 2023 G-MAC Tournament by taking at least two of four games in the series with the Pioneers.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan