On a cold and windy spring Ohio day, the Hillsdale College softball team put a deep freeze on a red-hot Malone team, shutting down the Pioneers and ending Malone's five game winning streak in 5-1 and 5-0 victories to open G-MAC play on Friday.
Hillsdale used a big fifth inning to pull away for a 5-1 victory in the first game of the doubleheader. After four scoreless innings, sophomore Taylor Lewis got on base on a hit by pitch, stole second, reach third on a sacrifice bunt by fellow sophomore Emma Sather, then plated the first run of the game on a wild pitch. Four batters later, after two walks and a double by senior Hailey Holtman, the bases were loaded for senior McKenna Eichholz, who took advantage by driving a grand slam over the left field fence for four more runs.
That was all the lead junior ace Joni Russell needed. Malone got on the board with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but didn't get a runner past second in any other circumstance. Russell struck out eight and walked four for the complete game victory, her ninth of the season. Russell also helped her own cause by turning a double play with Lewis, the second baseman, to end one of Malone's more dangerous threats in the bottom of the third inning.
Hillsdale finished with just seven hits but three extra base hits in the victory, led by Holtman, who hit two doubles, and Eichholz, who added a single to her grand slam. Hannah Hoverman hit a double and Grace Wallner went 2 for 4 as well for the Chargers.
In the nightcap, Hillsdale rode an impressive display of veteran savvy in the circle by senior Erin Kapteyn, who recorded her third shutout of 2024 and her sixth win in a 5-0 Hillsdale victory. Kapteyn finished with three strikeouts and conceded 10 hits, but issued no walks and confidently and calmly worked out of bases-loaded jams in the fourth and seventh to keep the score sheet clean for the Chargers.
For the second straight game, Hillsdale displayed impressive power at the plate, as six of its 10 hits in the win were doubles. Lewis got the scoring started once again for the Chargers with a RBI single in the top of the second inning that scored Hannah Hoverman, and also led to an error that brought a second run home for the Chargers as well.
Hoverman added to Hillsdale's lead in the top of the third on a RBI double by Hoverman, and the Chargers tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by freshman Sydney Davis and a RBI double by Maggie Olaveson.
That double by Olaveson was the second of the game for the sophomore, while Hoverman and Lewis each added two hits, including a double as well. Hailey Holtman and McKenna Eichholz also chipped in a double for the Chargers.
The victory stretches an impressive winning streak by Hillsdale to 10 games, now the longest streak by the Chargers since a 14-game winning streak in 2022. Hillsdale is now 16-8 overall, and 2-0 in the G-MAC, and at just two games into the conference season the Chargers are one of only two teams who've played conference games and are still unbeaten in the G-MAC along with Northwood. Ursuline and Walsh have yet to open conference play, and Hillsdale will next face the Cavaliers in a doubleheader in North Canton, Ohio tomorrow, Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m.
Photo by Morgan Hoverman