The Hillsdale College softball team's seniors made sure their final home contests at Johnny Williams Field on Sunday were ones to remember.
The Chargers put up big numbers on the scoreboard to roll past visiting Ursuline in a pair of run-rule games, 8-0 and 10-1, on the day when Hillsdale's graduating senior class -- Hailey Holtman, Erin Kapteyn, McKenna Eichholz, Grace Wallner and Kay Suganuma -- were honored for their accomplishments at Hillsdale.
Fast starts offensively helped Hillsdale in both games. Junior Emma Vis got the Chargers on the board in the bottom of the first inning in the opener with a RBI single, and Hillsdale scored five runs with two outs in the second inning, starting with a RBI single by freshman Sydney Davis.
Two batters after Davis' hit, Eichholz got a Senior Day moment to remember with a three-run home run into the trees behind the left-field fence. Vis followed up Eichholz's blast with one of her own moments later, homering the opposite way for a solo-shot that gave Hillsdale an early 6-0 lead.
After scoring another run in the third inning, Eichholz got to walk off for the Chargers in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a RBI single up the middle to trigger the run rule in an 8-0 victory.
Hillsdale pounded out 14 hits in the victory, with six players finishing with multiple hits, led by Eichholz and Wallner with two apiece. Lewis went 2 for 4 with a triple as well for the Chargers, and sophomore Emma Sather added a triple as well.
Junior Joni Russell pitched the first two innings for Hillsdale, striking out three and walking two before giving way to sophomore Mackenzi Maxson, who finished the final three innings with two strikeouts and a walk to complete the shutout. Maxson earned the win, her second of the season, in relief.
Hillsdale briefly fell behind in the nightcap thanks to an Ursuline home run in the top of the first inning, but jumped all over the Arrows in the next two innings, plating 10 unanswered runs to roll to a 10-1 victory in five innings.
The Chargers led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back doubles from Lewis and Davis that tied the game, and finished the inning with a pair of two-run home runs by Hannah Hoverman and senior Hailey Holtman to flip a 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 lead. Hillsdale put the game away in the bottom of the second innings, as Eicholz and Vis each hit a RBI single, and Grace Wallner added a two-run double as well.
Lewis stayed hot for the Chargers in Game 2 with a pair of doubles to lead Hillsdale at the plate, and Wallner, Eichholz and Davis each finished with two hits as well.
On the mound, Kapteyn shook off the early home run to pitch an excellent game, picking up her 14th win of the season and 42nd of her career. Kapteyn struck out seven batters and gave up no walks and only three hits in the victory.
Hillsdale is now 32-12 overall, 18-4 in the G-MAC and heads into the final weekend of the season guaranteed a finish of no worse than third in the G-MAC regular season standings. The Chargers also remain alive in the G-MAC title race, two games back of Trevecca Nazarene who has four to play next weekend.
That puts some stakes on Hillsdale's season-ending trip to Northwood on Saturday, as two wins by the Chargers could give Hillsdale the title if Trevecca Nazarene falters. Even if the Chargers can't catch the Trojans, victories over a strong Timberwolves squad would add to an already solid NCAA Tournament resume for Hillsdale.
Photo by Emma Purdy