The Hillsdale College baseball team outscored visiting Davenport 5-1 over the final eight innings, but couldn't overcome a nightmarish first inning in a 10-5 loss to the Panthers in a midweek contest on Tuesday.
Davenport plated nine runs in the top of the first on seven hits and two walks to seize a commanding lead. Despite the discouraging start, Hillsdale kept battling and fought their way back into the game. Zak Kent got the Chargers on the board in the bottom of the third inning, taking advantage of a leadoff walk by Tyler Turner to drive him in on a RBI single.
Hillsdale plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with Jaekob Sallee scoring Will Shannon on a RBI double, then taking advantage of a wild pitch and a throwing error by the Davenport catcher to score himself to make it 9-3 Davenport.
The Chargers put the heat on Davenport in a big way in the bottom of the fifth, as pinch hitter Evvan Fauquher delivered a clutch two-run single to bring Hillsdale within 9-5. Hillsdale missed a chance to tighten the screws later in the half-inning, as the Chargers were unable to score runners at second and third that would have cut Davenport's lead to two runs. Unfortunately, that was Hillsdale's best chance in the back half of the game, as the Chargers failed to score in the final four innings with only one runner reaching scoring position in the bottom of the eighth. Davenport added an insurance run in the top of the eighth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory.
Danny Passinault had a double at the plate to go along with Hillsdale's three RBI hits in the game, as the Chargers finished with six hits in the contest. Luke Miller took the loss on the mound for the Chargers, with Devin Murray pitching two and two-thirds innings of relief with three strikeouts and no walks as well for Hillsdale, and Daly Skees going two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one walk. Hayden Hoffpauir, Kolin Endres and Andrew George pitched a combined four innings of relief as well for Hillsdale, giving up no earned runs in that time.
Hillsdale is now 14-22 overall, 9-11 in G-MAC play and is in action again tomorrow, travelling to Grand Valley State University for a 3 p.m. midweek contest ahead of this weekend's G-MAC series at Northwood, beginning on Saturday.
Photo by Steve George