KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team continued the three-game weekend series against Trine with 2-1 and 9-5 wins for the series sweep on Sunday (Apr. 21). The Hornets' record improved to 22-8 (11-4 MIAA) on the season, and the Thunder dropped to 10-22 (2-13 MIAA). Kalamazoo sits one game back from Hope in second for the conference season standings, as both teams have six more MIAA games to play.
GAME ONE
Scoring Plays
Trine scored the first run of the low-scoring affair in the first inning on an RBI single. Kalamazoo tied the game up in the third when Lukas Bolton scored on a double play after tripling to begin the inning. The game-winning run came in the sixth inning when Robert Newland hit an RBI double to the right-center gap that scored Ryar Rinehart.
Pitching
Robert Ahlgren (4-1) threw seven innings and allowed one run on seven hits with four strikeouts. Brenden Oprinski earned the two-inning save (5) by not allowing a run and striking out two.
Hitting
Ryar Rinehart finished 2-3 with a triple and a run scored. Robert Newland had an RBI double, and Lukas Bolton had a triple.
GAME TWO
Scoring Plays
Kalamazoo scored the game's first run in the first inning with an RBI single from David Stechow. Trine took a 2-1 lead in the fourth after collecting four straight singles. The Hornets regained the lead in the bottom of the inning as Lukas Bolton drove in two on a double down the right field line, and Cooper Mills laid down a bunt single to bring Bolton in.
Kalamazoo expanded on the 4-2 lead in the fifth after Stechow was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a passed ball, and eventually scored after the catcher couldn't find where the ball went. In the sixth, the Hornets scored another run when Harrison Poeszat singled to right field, and the Trine fielder bobbled the ball that allowed Mills to score.
Kalamazoo kept capitalizing on Trine's mistakes when Stechow scored on another passed ball in the seventh. Robert Newland would score later in the inning after the Thunder turned a double play with the bases loaded. Trine got one run back in the eighth on an RBI double.
The Hornets got the run back in the bottom of the inning on an executed steal and stop, with Cade Preissing scoring while Stechow held the fielder's attention. Trine made things interesting in the ninth after a double that scored two, but the Kalamazoo bullpen held up for the win.
Pitching
Logan Lockhart started the game on the bump and threw the first four innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with three strikeouts. Braden Mussat (4-1) earned the win after throwing four innings in relief and allowed three runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Chase Cummins faced one batter in the ninth after the bases were loaded when Trine hit the double into the left-center gap. Owen Schihl earned the save (2) as the tying run was on deck with no outs and recorded three straight outs, two via the strikeout.
Hitting
David Stechow was on base all five times with three singles and was hit by a pitch twice with an RBI. Harrison Poeszat went 2-5 with a double. Cooper Mills and Robert Newland were on base twice with a hit and a walk. Lukas Bolton had two RBI.
Statistics
2B: Newland 2 (11), Bolton (7), Poeszat (13)
3B: Bolton (1), Rinehart (1)
HR: none
RBI: Bolton 2 (23), Mills (20), Newland (16), Stechow (18)
Sac Fly: none
Sac Bunt: Kelly (2), Stechow (7)
SB: Newland 3 (18), Mills 2 (9), Preissing 2 (4), Bolton (5), Kelly (4), Stechow (10)
BB: Mills 2 (30), Beccari (5), Hawkins (16), Newland (11), Stechow (7)
HBP: Stechow 2 (11), Rinehart 2 (2), Bolton (11), Mills (4)
(Season Total)
Up Next
Kalamazoo will face Wheaton on Wednesday, Apr. 24, in a single mid-week road game beginning at 7 p.m.