The Hillsdale College baseball team ran its win streak to four and beat Grand Valley State for the first time in five seasons with an exciting 4-3 win over the Lakers on Wednesday in home midweek action.
The Chargers fell behind on the first at bat of the game as the Lakers hit a leadoff home run and plated two runs in the top of the first inning, but Hillsdale held Grand Valley State at bay the rest of the way, giving up just one run over the next eight innings and stranding 12 GVSU baserunners.
Junior pitcher Kolin Endres went three scoreless innings after the first in relief for the Chargers, striking out two and walking none, buying time for Hillsdale to answer and pull ahead. Will Shannon got a run back for Hillsdale with a RBI single in the bottom of the third inning, and in the next inning Hillsdale plated two runs to pull ahead 3-2. After a leadoff single by freshman Will Millard, fellow freshman Aaron Jasiak drove him in with a RBI single. Jasiak then stole both second and third base to get in scoring position, plating the go-ahead run on a ground-out by Kaden Nowak that brought him home.
Millard added a critical insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a RBI single to score Jeff Landis from second and give the Chargers a 4-2 edge. Grand Valley scored a run in the top of the seventh to close the gap, but couldn't pay off other chances to pull ahead over the final four innings, hitting into a double play with the bases loaded in the top of sixth inning, stranding the potential tying run at third base in the top of the seventh, and also failing to get a runner at second base with one out home to tie the game in the top of the eighth.
Closer Andrew George finished off the Charger victory in the top of the ninth with a scoreless final inning, getting a looking strikeout for the final out of the game to record his third save of the season.
Endres recorded the win with three innings pitched in a staff day for the Chargers. Jacob Pallo got the start for Hillsdale, and Hayden Hoffpauir, Brandon Scott and Chad Stevens also pitched well for the Chargers, combining to hold a GVSU team that had scored double-digit runs seven times this season to just three on the day.
At the plate, Millard led the way, going 3 for 4 for the Chargers, while senior Joe Hardenbergh was 2 for 4 with a double as well as the Chargers finished with nine hits on the day. Jasiak also finished with three stolen bases for Hillsdale and was a part of two double plays that helped keep Hillsdale in the game.
The Chargers improve to 9-13 overall and return to G-MAC play this weekend, heading south to Nashville, Tennessee for a four game set against G-MAC title contender Trevecca Nazarene, beginning on Friday.
Photo by Steve George