TUCSON, Ariz. – It took an uncharacteristically extended period of play for the Kalamazoo College baseball team's offense to heat up Tuesday afternoon against Wisconsin-Superior. But the tide turned just in the nick of time.
Being held scoreless for the first four innings of play and falling behind 5-2 at the end of the fifth, the Hornets were able to tie the ballgame at 6-6 heading to the ninth before letting out any built up frustration in the top half of the inning. Combining for five hits in the ninth, the Hornets recorded a six-run inning on their way to a 12-8 win over the Yellowjackets.
Alex Fultz got the hit parade started in the ninth with a one-out double before Brett Garwood joined him on the basepath just one batter later on a hit-by-pitch.
Friday night's walk-off win hero Andre Gard drove in the Hornets go-ahead run one batter later on a single through the right side of the infield before Jordan Wiley bunted for a single dodging the UW-Superior's first baseman's tag with an acrobatic barrel roll down the first base line.
Ryan Orr's double down the left field line busted the game open driving in Wiley and Gard. Mitch VanKoevering capped off the inning with a two-run single through the left side.
Coming in to relieve Steve Simmons midway through the 8th inning, Scott Zychowski earned his second win in five days as he came back out in the ninth to record the final three outs.
Fultz led the Hornets' offense with three hits in four at bats. Also recording multi-hit games were Ian Kobernick, VanKoevering, Garwood and Gard.
Kalamazoo, now 6-2, will close out the Tucson Invitational tomorrow afternoon against Oberlin College. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 MST.