The Hillsdale College baseball team's pitching staff had one of its best days of the 2024 season on Sunday, holding host Lake Erie to a combined three runs in two games to help Hillsdale sweep a doubleheader and take the weekend series with the Storm.
Starter Daniel Higdon pitched six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and four walks, and freshman Logan McLaughlin earned his first career save with a scoreless seventh inning as the Chargers shut out Lake Erie 3-0 in the first game of the day. Combined, the Hillsdale pitching staff gave up just five hits in the win, and Higdon deftly worked through the walks he issued, striking out the final two batters to get out of a jam in the bottom of the second and inducing an inning-ending fielder's choice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth.
With Hillsdale's pitching staff throwing well, the Chargers got all the runs they needed in the top of the first inning, as a leadoff single by Rocco Tenuta helped load the bases and Zak Kent hit a single to right field to give Hillsdale a 2-0 lead it would never relinquish. Will Shannon added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, hitting a double to right center that scored Will Millard.
Millard led the Chargers at the plate in the victory, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, as Hillsdale scored three runs on eight hits.
In the second game, the Chargers again rode a strong early start and solid pitching to victory in a 6-3 win. Hillsdale took the lead right out of the gate on a RBI single by Jaekob Sallee that scored Millard in the top of the first inning, then tacked on two more runs in the top of the third as Will Shannon was able to turn a leadoff double into a run thanks to two balls that got away from the catcher. Aaron Jasiak later drew a bases-loaded walk in the same inning to make it 3-0, Chargers.
Lake Erie cut the deficit to 3-2, and later 4-3, but both times the Chargers were able to answer. Hillsdale countered Lake Erie's first two runs in the top of the fifth with a single to left field by Millard that scored Danny Passinault, then, when the Storm cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Hillsdale took advantage of a Lake Erie error to plate two more insurance runs and hold on for the victory.
Paul Brophy got his second win of the season on the mound for the Chargers, striking out three, walking four and giving up two runs in four innings of work, while Brandon Scott got his second save of the season in long relief, working the final three innings with two strikeouts, one run and just two hits conceded. With Lake Erie down to its final chance in the seventh, Scott finished the game with a clutch 1-2-3 inning to secure the series victory for the Chargers.
Shannon was 2 for 3 with two doubles to lead the Chargers at the plate in the victory, while Millard stayed hot with two singles and Passinault added two singles as well.
Hillsdale is now 12-18, 7-9 in G-MAC play, with the series victory this weekend helping the Chargers make up some ground in the conference race. Now, the Chargers return home for six straight games at TFO Partners Field at Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium, starting with the first ever home night game in Hillsdale College baseball history against visiting Saginaw Valley State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10.
Photo by Steve George