First baseman Cade Seabaugh and center fielder Corbin Bennetts packed a punch for the Hope College baseball team.

The two propelled the Flying Dutchmen to a 5-4 victory against 12-win Rhodes College (Tennessee) in the RussMatt Invitational opener on Friday in Citrus Ridge, Florida.

Reliever Ian Sanders saved the game by retiring the final two batters, including a one-out pickoff at second base.

Seabaugh (Ballwin, Missouri / Ladue Horton) went 4-for-4 with three RBIs. The junior cleanup batter knocked in Hope's first three runs with a two-run double in the top of the third and an RBI single in the fifth.

Bennetts (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) blasted a tie-breaking, two-run homer in the seventh. It was the freshman's first collegiate home run.

The offense supported started pitcher Mason Belmore (Battle Creek, Michigan / Lakeview).

The senior righthander evened his record at 2-2 by scattering three runs and seven hits over seven innings of work. Belmore struck out two and walked two for the Flying Dutchmen (2-7).

Sanders Grandville, Michigan (Grandville) earned the save after pitching the final two innings. 

The right-hander allowed an unearned run in the ninth but picked off the tying run at second base with one out on a throw to shortstop Carter Perry (Grand Rapids, Michigan / West Catholic). Sanders retired the final Rhodes batter on a groundout back to the mound.

Hope outhit Rhodes (12-8) by a 15-7 margin.

The top of the batting order combined for 10 hits for the Flying Dutchmen. Bennetts, senior leadoff hitter and third baseman Al Money (Midland, Michigan / Midland) and freshman designated hitter Colton Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm) collected two hits apiece. 

Sophomore second baseman Elliott Peter (Zionsville, Indiana / Zionsville) also had two hits.

Hope returns to action on Saturday, March 15, at 9 a.m. with a doubleheader against Penn State-Altoona at Northeast Regional Park in Citrus Ridge, Florida.