Story by Mitch Blankespoor
CALEDONIA, Mich. – Entering the bottom of the 10th innings trailing 5-3, the Kalamazoo College baseball team scored three runs on four hits to defeat Alma 6-5 in come-from-behind fashion Sunday. Game two of the scheduled doubleheader has been postponed.
"We told everyone they had to take a strike in the final inning and we became more selective," Kalamazoo Head Coach Mike Ott said in a postgame interview. "We had great execution on the first to third push from [Jack] Clark to tie it."
In the final inning, freshman Ian Kobernick starting things off with a single to right field. After a strikeout, junior Jake Aliotta doubled down the left field line scoring Kobernick to get Kalamazoo within one. Freshman catcher Brett Garwood reached base via an error followed by the push bunt from freshman Jack Clark tied the game 5-5.
Senior Mark Zughaib then singled to load the bases up with only one out. Freshman Mitchell VanKoevering grounded into a fielder's choice and beat out the double play to give Kalamazoo the victory.
Sophomore pitcher Dylan Pierce received a no decision striking out nine batters in seven innings of work.
"Dylan [Pierce] deserves a win tonight and I wish we could have gotten him one," Ott said. "He's the ace of our program."
Kalamazoo began the scoring in the first. Zughaib opened the bottom of the first with a leadoff triple to left center field. VanKoevering drove in Zughaib with a single to center field. After Scott Devine singled, Alma forced a Hornet flyout and two strikeouts to get out of the inning.
Pierce stranded two runners in the second inning and the Hornet offense provided their pitcher with some more run support. Aliotta led off the inning with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, Aliotta reached third on a double from Clark who scored on the next play as Zughaib grounded out to first base.
Kalamazoo would add another run in the fifth on an RBI single from Kobernick, but the Scots had the answer in the top of the sixth.
Alma scored its first run on three singles followed by a strikeout. Pierce attempted a pickoff to first base, but an errant throw caused two unearned Alma runs to score.
Neither team would score again until the 10th when Alma again used three singles to score the first run of the inning. A Kalamazoo wild pitch scored the second.
Then the Hornets provided the necessary three runs to win in walk-off fashion.
Freshman Brent Yelton got the win pitching the final three innings of the game. Aliotta tallied three of Kalamazoo's 12 hits while four other Hornets finished with two hits.
With the win, Kalamazoo improves to 4-8 on the season and 2-2 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. The Hornets return to action tomorrow (March 31) for a single game against Calvin. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.