The Hillsdale College softball team came oh-so-close to a doubleheader sweep of one of the most powerful teams in the GLIAC Friday afternoon.
After gaining an impressive 3-1 win in game one of the doubleheader, the Chargers mounted an incredible comeback in the nightcap, only to fall 12-10 in a wild, back-and-forth contest.
Hillsdale is now 19-17 overall and 11-13 in the GLIAC. The team concludes regular season play Saturday when it hosst Ferris State University at 1 p.m.
A short Senior Day ceremony will take place around 15 minutes before the first pitch.
In game one, sophomore Sarah Grunert turned in a great pitching performance, as she limited the explosive Lakers to just one run on seven hits in seven innings on the mound. She struck out three batters, and had a nice ratio of 69 strikes out of 110 total pitches.
The Chargers got off to a good start, which was key for its confidence in this game. Freshman Jessica Knepper smacked a double that scored junior Jessica Day with the game's first run.
The Lakers tied the game in the top of the third, but Hillsdale answered right back when Ainsley Ellison's goundout brought home Kate Ardrey with the game-winning run. Ardrey drew an inning-opening walk, took second on a groundout and got to third on a wild pitch in the frame.
Freshman Cassie Asselta provided the team with some big insurance with her RBI single that brought home freshman Jessie Fox (pictured) in the bottom of the fifth.
The Lakers threatened but failed to score in the sixth, and Grunert retired the side in order in the seventh.
In game two, Hillsdale again took an early lead, but it got wiped out by a seven-run explosion by GVSU in the fourth inning that turned the game into a 9-3 Laker lead.
But this young Charger team, improving with each game, showed heart and character by refusing to stay down, and coming all the way back to take the lead, when sophomore Sarah Klopfer singled, scoring Asselta with the go-ahead run. The hit capped a seven-run rally that was highlighted by a three-run home run by Grunert. Ardrey also had a two-run double that kept the comeback alive earlier in the game.
The Lakers scored three runs on a walk-off home run by Miranda Cleary in the bottom of the seventh.
Klopfer went 3-for-4, while Grunert, Bekah Kastning and Ardrey each had two-hit games for the Chargers. Ardrey had 2 RBI and scored twice, while junior Melissa Felkey was 1-for-3 with two runs batted in for Hillsdale.