ELSAH, Ill. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team started the 2024 season with the first of a three-game series at Principia on Friday (Feb. 23). The Hornets' bats started hot in the first inning with eight runs en route to a 17-0 win in seven innings over the Panthers.

Scoring Plays

Cooper Mills began the day with an infield single, and Harrison Poeszat drove him in on an RBI single to right field. After Robert Newland reached on a single of his own, Tanner Hawkins started his big day with a two-run double to left field. A pitch hit David Stechow, and then Cam Kelly singled in Hawkins for a 4-0 lead. Alex Fenkell reached on an error that allowed Stechow to cross the plate. Mills drove in two on a single to center field in his second at-bat of the inning. Poeszat completed the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double to right field.

Two more runs were pushed across the plate in the second inning as Kelly had an RBI groundout, and Stechow scored on a wild pitch for a 10-0 lead. After doubling in the second inning, Hawkins started his season 3-3 with a two-run home run to center field that brought Newland in to score. Fenkell was hit by a pitch two batters later, and Cade Preissing knocked him in on a double to left field in his collegiate debut.

Three more runs scored in the sixth inning as Joe Leonard roped a triple to center field to bring in Preissing and Alex DiDio. Liam Regan then reached on an error to allow Leonard to cross the plate. One final run was scored in the seventh inning as Leonard brought in Riley Weber on a sacrifice fly to right field for his third RBI.

Pitching

Jacob Davis (1-0) started on the bump for Kalamazoo and cruised through four scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out six batters. Eric Sheppard made his collegiate debut in the fifth inning and struck out the side while allowing one hit. Gabe Sokol repeated what Sheppard did in the sixth with three strikeouts and a hit. Kaden Sotomayor threw the final inning, allowing a hit and striking out one.

Hitting

Hawkins (3), Poeszat (3), Mills (2), and Newland (2) all had multi-hit performances. Stechow, Kelly, Preissing, DiDio, Leonard, Dillon Rodriguez, and Riley Weber collected a hit each. The Hornets had the opportunity to play 18 different position players in the game, with Preissing, DiDio, Leonard, Rodriguez, Ryan Witt, and Caleb Moore all making their collegiate debuts.

2B: Hawkins (2), Poeszat (1), Preissing (1)
3B: Leonard (1)
HR: Hawkins (1)
RBI: Hawkins (4), Leonard (3), Mills (2), Poeszat (2), Kelly (2), Regan (1), Fenkell (1), Preissing (1)
SF: Leonard (1)
SB: Poeszat (1), Newland (1), Stechow (1)
BB: Lockhart (2), Preissing (1)
HBP: Stechow (1), Bolton (1), Fenkell (1)

Kalamazoo will finish the three-game series at Principia with a doubleheader on Saturday (Feb. 24), beginning at 1 p.m.