ADRIAN, Mich.--The nationally-ranked Adrian College baseball team completed a four-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association weekend sweep of visiting Alma College in convincing fashion on Sunday, taking the first game by an 11-4 score before the Bulldogs pitching staff combined on a one-hitter during an 18-0 win in the nightcap. 

THE BASICS
= Final Scorelines: Game 1--Adrian 11-10-0, Alma 4-11-1; Game 2--Adrian 18-19-3, Alma 0-1-1

= Location: Nicolay Field, Adrian, Mich.; Weather: Sunny, 44 degrees, Wind SW 3 mph

= Records: Adrian Bulldogs 11-2 overall (4-0 MIAA); Alma Scots 4-12 overall (0-4 MIAA)

= National Rankings: Adrian is No. 12 by American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (239 points) and No. 18 by the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (165) poll

TOP 'DAWGS
= Leadoff batter senior Zack Zschering was 5-for-9 with six runs scored, two walks, two runs batted in and four stolen bases on the day.

= Sophomore Brandon Cooper went 4-for-7, including a double, triple and home run, with six RBI during the doubleheader.

= Junior Brady Wood compiled a 4-for-8, three-RBI, three-run performance at the plate for two games.

= Senior Dugan Darnell had three hits in the nightcap while scoring five runs and walking three times on the afternoon.

= Classmate Jason Croci came off the bench in the second game to hit a bases-clearing double.

= Freshman Max Denny pitched a complete Game 1 to improve to 4-0. He scattered 11 hits, allowed four runs (3 ER), walked one and struck out five.

= In the nightcap, sophomore Mo Hanley made his first start of the season a memorable one: six scoreless innings with one walk and five strikeouts. He did not allow a hit.   

THE OPPOSITION
= Max Trucks went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the opener.

= Jordan Anstandig, Jaret Koin, Pete Carravallah and Zach Schirmer all joined Trucks with two hits in the first game. Anstandig and Carravallah also had a RBI apiece while the former walked once.

HOW IT HAPPENED, Game 1
= Adrian got all the offense it would need with five runs on four hits, a hit batter and walk in the top of the first inning. Cooper had the big hit with a triple to right field that cleared the bases.

= By the bottom of the fourth inning, Alma cut the deficit in half at 6-3. Trucks had a RBI-single to left-center field and Carravallah had a RBI-single in the third and Anstandig doubled to center field to bring home a run in the fourth.

= But the Bulldogs pulled away with two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. Cooper provided the highlight with an inside-the-park home run to left field that plated two runs in the seventh.     

HOW IT HAPPENED, Game 2
= Just like the previous three games in this series, Adrian jumped out to an early lead. This time, the Bulldogs scored four times in the top of the first and two more in the second for a 6-0 cushion. Wood had a RBI-double to left-center in the first and a home run to left in the next frame to spark the rout. 

= The Bulldog blew the game wide open with nine runs in the seventh to go up 16-0. Croci cleared the bases with a double to left-center to cap the rally.

= Nick Hartner spoiled a combined no-hit bid by the Adrian pitching staff with a sharp, two-out single up the middle.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
= Adrian improves to 108-82 all-time against Alma, including 61-45 at home.  

= Adrian was the designated "visiting" team today for game operations purposes as the contests had to be moved from an unplayable Klenk Field in Alma. For official statistics, it counts on the Bulldogs home and Scots road won-lost records.

= The 19 hits in Game 2 ties a season-high in the March 2 opener versus nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh and 18 runs equals a season's best at Oglethorpe on March 9.

= The Bulldogs recorded their largest shutout win in the series and scored the most runs since beating the Scots, 19-6, on April 12, 2015.

= Denny paces the MIAA with four victories (4-0) and his team-best 1.96 earned-run average is third.

= Cooper jumps into the conference's top-5 in batting average at .444 for fourth place. Zschering is third with a .447 clip.

= Junior Gunner Rainey widens his MIAA lead to 21 RBI. 

= As a team, Adrian is averaging 10.86 runs and batting .343. The Bulldogs' ERA is 2.92 overall, with relievers pitching 43 innings that have produced 47 strikeouts and yielded just seven earned runs (1.47 ERA).    

UP NEXT
= Adrian will have a non-conference game at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

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