The Hillsdale College baseball team saw one of its best seasons in recent memory come to a close in two tough, close losses in the G-MAC Tournament on Thursday at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio.
The Chargers got decent pitching and were competitive throughout a 7-2 loss to top-seeded Northwood and a 3-0 elimination game loss to Trevecca Nazarene, but timely hits eluded the Chargers in both contests, as the Chargers stranded a combined 20 runners on base in the two defeats.
In the first game of the day against the G-MAC regular season champion Timberwolves, the Chargers actually outhit Northwood 12-9, but never fully recovered from a four-run second inning that included an untimely two-run home run. That gave Northwood a 5-0 lead, and while Hillsdale was able to get a run back in the fourth on a RBI triple by Will Shannon, and pull within three in the top of the fifth on a RBI double by Lewis Beals, the Chargers were unable to dig out of that early hole.
Beals and Shannon each went 2 for 5 with a double and a triple to lead the Chargers at the plate in the loss to the Timberwolves, while Danny Passinault, Jaekob Sallee and Nick Stepke each chipped in two hits as well.
Tommy MacLean took the loss for the Chargers, bouncing back from that tough second inning to pitch six innings and give Hillsdale a chance to rally, with three strikeouts and four walks overall. Logan Simon and Devin Murray each pitched an inning of relief for Hillsdale.
In the nightcap, Hillsdale nearly matched Trevecca in hits, 8-7, and got a solid performance from its pitchers, but was unable to get on the board. The Chargers got runners in scoring position in four of the nine innings but were unable to string hits together to get runs home, while the Trojans were able to cluster their hits together, putting up three doubles in quick succession in the bottom of the third inning to plate two runs and pull ahead for good.
Shannon and senior Aidan Brewer each hit a double to lead the Chargers at the plate, while Daly Skees took the loss on the mound, going four and a third innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Drew Olssen also struck out three batters in two and two-thirds innings of relief, and Zane Barnhart pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout as well.
Hillsdale finishes the season at 26-26 overall, but took a step forward as a program this season, posting the Chargers' best regular-season finish in the G-MAC since joining the conference in 2018, and putting up more conference victories (20) than in any season in program history.
The Chargers bid farewell to a storied nine-player senior class, including three quarters of its infield in All-American Aidan Brewer, third baseman Cody Kanclerz and second baseman Nick Stepke, as well as outfielder and Academic All-American Lewis Beals and ace Will Gifford, who helped set the tone for the program over the last three seasons, but do have a significant amount of talent slated to return, including all four of their first and second-team All-G-MAC honorees, as head coach Tom Vessella looks to keep his program moving forward momentum intact entering his third season at the helm in 2024.
Photo by Greg Ruff