The Hillsdale College softball team closed out its annual Spring Break trip to Florida in dramatic fashion on Saturday with a pair of extra-inning victories in the Spring Games at the DiamondPlex in Winter Haven, Florida.
Tied 6-6 in the eighth inning of the opening game against Shepherd, senior Hailey Holtman hit a two-out walk-off single to score the international tiebreak runner and pull out an exciting 7-6 victory for Hillsdale.
The Chargers never trailed in the contest, taking a lead in the bottom of the first inning on a solo home run by Holtman and a two-run single by Taylor Lewis, then added another run in the bottom of the second and two more in the bottom of the third on Shepherd errors.
Shepherd, however, plated three runs in the third and two runs in the fourth inning to tie the game at 6-6, and neither team was able to break the deadlock over the next three innings. With the game on the line in the top of the eighth, relief pitcher Joni Russell struck out the side to give Hillsdale a golden opportunity to walk off in the bottom of the eighth, and Hillsdale took advantage.
Holtman and Lewis each finished with two hits and a stolen base to lead the Chargers at the plate, as Hillsdale was outhit 11-8 by the Rams but took better advantage of their opportunities, leaving seven on base to Shepherd's nine.
Russell got the win in relief, striking out four of the eight batters she faced in two scoreless innings of work, while senior Erin Kapteyn also struck out five across four innings of relief. Sophomore Mackenzi Maxson got the start and struck out one and walked one for the Chargers as well.
In the nightcap against Saint Anselm, the Chargers were once again forced into extra innings after the game got through seven complete at a 2-2 tie, but Hillsdale seized control for good in the top of the eighth, plating six runs to run away with an 8-3 victory. Sophomore Maggie Olaveson got the scoring started in the eighth, hitting a double to score international tiebreak runner Erin Kapteyn and take the lead, and Emma Sather chipped in a two-run single and Grace Wallner and Medleigh Danchak each added a RBI single as well in the Chargers' scoring frenzy.
Hillsdale looked to be in good position to win the game in regulation, thanks to a RBI double by Taylor Lewis in the fourth inning that ultimately led to two Chargers runs and gave Hillsdale a 2-0 lead. The Chargers took that advantage into the bottom of the seventh, but a two-run double by Saint Anselm tied up the game and forced extra innings. A heads-up play on that double prevented the Chargers from getting walked off, as Hillsdale's right fielder retrieved the ball and relayed it to catcher Danchak at home plate for an out on what would have been a third and game-winning run for the Hawks.
Hannah Hoverman went 3 for 3 at the plate to lead the Chargers offensively in the win over Saint Anselm, while Olaveson chipped in two hits as well. Russell earned her second win of the day in relief, striking out three and walking one in two innings of work, taking the reins from Maxson, who pitched six strong innings with three strikeouts and no runs conceded until the seventh.
Hillsdale is now 14-8 overall and has won eight straight and 11 of their last 14 games entering conference play next weekend with road trips to Malone and Walsh, followed by a Tuesday series at G-MAC contender Findlay. So far this season, the Chargers are following a familiar script, starting slow and showing major improvements down in Florida ahead of the start of G-MAC competition. That mirrors exactly the way things have gone for Hillsdale the last three seasons, and if the pattern holds, the G-MAC should watch out -- in those three campaigns after returning from Florida, the Chargers went a combined 53-12 in conference play with a G-MAC regular season title in 2022, two more runner-up finishes and the G-MAC Tourney crown last year in 2023.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan