Trailing 6-2 to Wayne State entering the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday's series finale, it looked like the Hillsdale College baseball team was on its way to a dispiriting sweep to open the season.
But instead of going quietly, the Chargers showcased their reslience and pride over the final two innings, stunning Wayne State with six runs in the eighth and ninth to walk off with an 8-6 victory to cap a four-game series played at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, North Carolina.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Hillsdale pounced on a fielding error by the Warriors that allowed senior Joe Hardenbergh to reach safely to spark a comeback. Back-to-back singles by senior Jaekob Sallee and and freshman Rocco Tenuta loaded the bases and brought up senior Jeff Landis, one of Hillsdale's most prolific power hitters. Landis didn't disappoint, tying the game with one crack of the bat on a grand slam to right field, the 36th home run of his career.
The game now tied, junior reliever Andrew George shut out the Warriors with a 1-2-3 ninth inning that included a strikeout to give Hillsdale a chance to walk off in the bottom of the ninth. Tyler Turner singled to get on base, and Hardenbergh, who had started the rally back in the eighth, came back up to bat with two outs and a chance to win the game. Hardenbergh, like Landis a feared power hitter who had 34 career home runs entering today's contest, was ready for the moment, crushing a pitch over the right field wall for a walk-off home run that sealed the victory.
The win is a happy ending to a tough weekend for the Chargers that saw Hillsdale miss a similar opportunity to walk off in regulation in an extra-inning loss to the Warriors on Friday. It's a sign that Hillsdale is already growing by leaps and bounds just two days into the young season and a boost of confidence for the rest of the season to come.
Hillsdale fell into a 5-0 hole in the first three innings before Hardenbergh got the Chargers on the board with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to cut the deficit to 5-2. Hillsdale struggled to string together hits over the next four innings, and when Wayne State tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh, it looked like it might be too much for Hillsdale to overcome. But the Chargers refused to give up, finally putting the big inning they'd been searching for together at the perfect moment to steal the victory.
Hardenbergh went 3 for 5 at the plate with the two home runs to lead Hillsdale offensively, while Tenuta was 3 for 4 as well and junior Zak Kent chipped in two doubles. George got the win in relief for Hillsdale, striking out one in an inning of work. Daly Skees was the starter for Hillsdale, going four innings with one strikeout and two walks, and Chad Stevens and Paul Brophy each pitched two innings of relief and each finished with two strikeouts as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale is now 1-3 overall and will travel to Pennsylvania next weekend to play California (PA) in a three game series at Wild Things Park in Washington, PA, looking to carry the momentum from today's victory forward.
Photo by Steve George