Schedule
Cedarville (15-8, 0-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (14-16, 4-0 G-MAC) | 12 P.M. ET Saturday, April 2 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Cedarville (15-8, 0-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (14-16, 4-0 G-MAC) | 2 P.M. ET Saturday, April 2 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Davenport (8-8) at Hillsdale College (14-16, 4-0 G-MAC) | 3 P.M. ET Monday, April 4 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Davenport (8-8) at Hillsdale College (14-16, 4-0 G-MAC) | 5 P.M. ET Monday, April 4 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Cedarville Roster | Davenport Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Cedarville Stats | Davenport Stats | Live Stats and Video Links
Outlook
The Chargers rolled into G-MAC play with dominant sweeps of Lake Erie and Tiffin over the last seven days, and, thanks to chaos around the conference, now sit alone in first place just four games into the G-MAC schedule.
Hillsdale gets its first real test this weekend from a Cedarville team that dominated its non-conference schedule, but came back to earth against Ursuline to open G-MAC play, getting swept by the Arrows.
The Yellow Jackets rely heavily on the bat and arm of sophomore Casey Bertke, who is hitting .339 at the plate so far and is one of the G-MAC's top pitchers, with a 9-3 record in 16 appearances and 10 starts, a 1.33 ERA, and 60 strikeouts to 18 walks. Fellow sophomores Adaline Ziehmer and Emily Blake split the starting duties when Bertke isn't on the mound, but they haven't been as effective, with a 5-4 record combined so far. Blake especially is still solid, with a 2.33 ERA in 10 appearances.
Offensively, sophomore Kaley Clark has been the team's top offensive threat so far, with a team best 17 RBIs. She's one of five Yellow Jacket regulars hitting over .300 so far, including Bertke, senior McKenna Smith (.435) and freshman Mackenzie Russell (.366).
The Chargers also host Davenport in a non-conference doubleheader on Monday, making up contests that were postponed from earlier in the year. The Panthers are 8-8 so far with splits against G-MAC title contender Ohio Dominican and also Cedarville, and have yet to start conference play, with only two contests in the last month.
The Panthers have struggled offensively this year, with an average of .263 and 65 runs in 16 games, though Davenport has shown flashes throughout the season, including a 12-run outing against Mary. Senior Alexis Koza has four home runs and 11 RBIs to lead the Panthers offensively, and fellow senior Rachel Griffin is hitting .300 with seven extra-base hits and 10 RBIs as well. Freshman Riley Hasseld (.346) and sophomore Emma Embry (.323) have the top batting averages for Davenport.
Solid pitching has kept the Panthers at .500 while they try to get the bats going. Junior Emma Miller is 5-3 with an impressive 1.47 ERA and 33 strikeouts to just five walks in eight starts, and senior Ellie Muilenburg has been a solid second starter as well, posting a 3-5 record with a 4.89 ERA and 54 strikeouts in eight starts as well.
Hillsdale has been hot over the last 12 games, going 10-2 after a 4-14 start, and are now hitting .286 as a team. Two seniors – catcher Madison Stoner and utility player Madison Rathbun – lead the Charger offense. Rathbun has hit .370 so far with 19 RBIs and five doubles, while Stoner is hitting .353 with five doubles, three home runs and a team-high 20 RBIs. Junior utility player Jenna Cantalupo also has played well in the early going, hitting .338 with 15 RBIs as well, and sophomore Hailey Holtman is still pulling herself out of a rough start to the season but has four home runs during the recent 12 game stretch and also has 10 RBIs.
Now that Hillsdale has started to get the offense going, it can pair it with pitching that's been good enough so far to make the team a contender. Freshman Joni Russell has seven victories in 11 starts with 77 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA, giving the team a solid ace. As good as Russell has been, sophomore and No. 2 starter Erin Kapteyn has been right there with her in terms of effectiveness, with a 2.09 ERA, 49 strikeouts and a 6-2 record in 11 appearances. Senior Camryn Olson is a veteran presence as a starter and reliever for the Chargers as well, while freshmen Dani Deaton and Emma Vis both have shown promise in their early appearances.
Hillsdale split with Cedarville in the regular season in 2021, losing a 2-1 opening game and bouncing back for a 10-1 win in the nightcap on April 6. The two teams also met in the G-MAC Tourney, with Hillsdale taking the rubber match 8-0 to advance in an elimination contest. Monday's games mark just the second and third times that Hillsdale and Davenport have met – the Panthers won an 8-5 game over the Chargers on March 21, 2015 in their only other meeting.