ADRIAN, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College baseball team picked up a split Friday evening on the campus of Adrian College in the first two games of a weekend series between the Hornets and Bulldogs.
Game One
In a game that proved to be a dual between the teams' top two pitchers, both Kalamazoo and Adrian were held scoreless through the first four innings.
Adrian made the breakthrough in the bottom of the fifth off the Hornets' Ryan Orr, scoring two runs, and that's all the Bulldogs would need, taking the game 2-0.
Despite picking up the loss, Orr tossed six innings of work giving up just the two runs on five hits. He struck out five in the game.
Game Two
The tide turned for Kalamazoo in the night cap as the Hornets took game two, 5-3, behind another strong starting pitching performance.
Aaron Schwark completed seven innings of work, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out eight Bulldogs. He was credited with the win.
Heading to the seventh inning all square at one, Kalamazoo made the breakthrough scoring three runs with RBIs from David Kracht, Jack Clark and Mitchell VanKoevering.
Adrian did its best to threaten a comeback scoring a run in both the bottom of the seventh and eighth, but an insurance RBI from VanKoevering in the top of the ninth and a stellar final relief inning from Orr after throwing six innings in game one secured the win for Kalamazoo.
Clark ended game two going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. VanKoevering also ended with two RBIs and went 2-for-4 from the dish.
The two teams will take the day off on Saturday before meeting once again in Kalamazoo for games three and four of the weekend series on Sunday. Sunday's first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.