A superlative effort by outfielder Lewis Beals and the Hillsdale College baseball team wasn't enough to get the win in the first game of a doubleheader at McKendree on Friday.
So the sophomore and the Chargers went up another level in the nightcap, rallying from a five-run deficit to force extra innings, then plating five runs in the top of the 11th for a 12-7 victory that split the day for Hillsdale.
Beals was sensational in the nightcap for the Chargers, going 4 for 5 at the plate and accomplishing a rare feat for any baseball player -- hitting a single, double, triple and home run in the same contest to complete the cycle. The sophomore got the Chargers on the board with a solo home run in the top of the third inning to cut into a 5-0 McKendree lead, and fellow sophomore Joe Hardenbergh followed up with a three-run blast later in the inning to close the gap.
While Hillsdale kept it close, answering a McKendree run in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Jeff Landis in the fifth to keep the Bearcats' advantage at 5-4, the Chargers wouldn't take their first lead until the top of the seventh, when a sacrifice fly by Landis scored Beals to tie the game, and Aidan Brewer put Hillsdale ahead 7-6 with an RBI double later in the inning. McKendree answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game.
Both teams were scoreless in the next three innings as the contest stretched into the 11th. Finally, in the top of the 11th, the Chargers broke through. Back to back RBI singles by Danny Passinault and Jeff Landis gave Hillsdale a 9-7 edge, and Brewer all but clinched the victory with a three-run home run later in the inning that gave the Chargers a 12-7 lead.
Zane Barnhart struck out four for the Chargers and allowed no baserunners in three innings, including the bottom of the 11th, to earn the win in relief for Hillsdale. Paul Brophy got the start for the Chargers, going five innings with five strikeouts and one walk, and Dillon Manion and Brendan Pochmara also pitched for Hillsdale.
Along with Beals' strong showing, Brewer and Hardenbergh each chipped in three hits as well for Hillsdale, and Landis and Passinault each added two.
The first game of the doubleheader was very similar to the second, with the Chargers battling back from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the game 5-5 in the top of the seventh. However, the Chargers couldn't scratch across a go-ahead run with two on base in the inning, and McKendree was able to walk off in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 victory.
Just like in the first game, Beals kicked off the scoring for the Chargers in the top of the fourth with a solo home run, and Hardenbergh followed his lead with a two-run shot in the same inning to cut McKendree's lead to 5-3. Landis helped create the two runs that tied the game for the Chargers in the next two innings, scoring Beals on a groundout in the top of the fifth, and hitting an RBI single in the top of the seventh to even the game at 5-all. It wasn't quite enough, however, as the Bearcats got a walk-off single in the bottom of the inning to take the win.
James Krick (1-2) took the loss in relief for the Chargers. Tommy MacLean got the start for Hillsdale, striking out one and walking three in four innings of work, and Logan Simon also pitched two innings, striking out three and walking one.
Beals finished 2 for 3 at the plate with a triple as well as the home run, to finish the day 6 for 8 with five extra base hits. Brewer chipped in a double for the Chargers, who had six hits in the loss.
Hillsdale (5-7) faces McKendree tomorrow, Saturday, in another doubleheader at 12 p.m. ET looking to try and get back to .500 heading into G-MAC play with a strong finish to the series.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop