The Hope College baseball team took both games of its doubleheader against Trine on Saturday, winning the first game 4-2 and the second game 15-7. The team flipped the script on Trine, who had taken both games of a doubleheader between the two teams in Angola on Friday.
The Flying Dutchmen moved their record to 19-13 overall, with a 12-8 mark in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The team currently resides alone in third place in the conference after breaking a tie with Trine.
In game one, the Flying Dutchmen rode a strong pitching performance by Nick Holt of Muskegon, Michigan (Catholic Central) to a win. The sophomore pitched seven innings, giving up just two runs while striking out five.
Hope jumped on Trine early, putting three runs across in the opening inning. The offense was led by Jordon Fairchild of Muskegon, Michigan (Oakridge) who stuffed the stat sheet with one hit, two walks, a stolen base, plus one run and one RBI.
Trace Slancik of Scotts, Michigan (Vicksburg), who had one double and scored a run, and JP Batts of Spring Lake, Michigan (Spring Lake), who had one hit and a RBI, also chipped in for Hope.
In game two, the team utilized a dominant offensive showing to take the victory. The Flying Dutchmen scored in all but two innings, including a key seven-run 7th to take the lead for good. The team racked up sixteen hits in the game, ten of them going for extra bases.
Fairchild again kept the official scorer busy, with three hits, three walks, a stolen base, and four runs scored. Mason Opple of Hudsonville, Michigan (Hudsonville) also had a big day for the team, with four hits and two stolen bases, along with three RBIs and three runs. Five other Flying Dutchmen players had two RBIs for the game.
Reliever Michael Thomas of Troy, Michigan (Troy) picked up the win in relief.
The Flying Dutchmen will return to the diamond on Thursday, April 27, when they take on Albion in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Boeve Stadium.