LA CROSSE, Wis. – Looking to extend its first NCAA Regional appearance another day, the Kalamazoo College baseball team came up short against No. 3 seed North Central College on day two of the Midwest Regional Championship hosted by Wisconsin-La Crosse.
With the Hornets' ace Ryan Orr on the mound, North Central did the vast majority of its damage in the first inning with one swing of the bat. The Cardinals' Chris Hill hit a three-run home run to leftfield giving North Central an early lead, and ultimately a lead it wouldn't relinquish as the Cardinals defeated the Hornets, 4-2.
Kalamazoo got itself on the board in the second inning on back-to-back doubles from Brett Garwood and Josh Reuter, but the Hornets' bats were held in check Wednesday afternoon by Cardinal pitching.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Chase Shelbourne came around to score on a single from Brett Garwood cutting the deficit to two. The Hornets' rally stalled shortly thereafter.
Kalamazoo was limited to just six hits while North Central recorded nine.
Despite a rocky first inning, Orr settled in for the proceeding four innings not allowing a run. He ended his day throwing six innings of work and striking out eight while giving up four earned runs.
Garwood led the way offensively for the Hornets going 3-for-4 in the batter's box with a run scored.
Reuter, Ian Kobernick and Nate Donovan also recorded hits for the Hornets.
With today's result, Kalamazoo is eliminated from postseason play. The Hornets won the MIAA tournament championship less than one week ago sending them to the Midwest Regional Championship.