ALBION, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team played a makeup doubleheader to finish its MIAA series against Albion on Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 11). The Hornets won both games 17-2 and 13-6 to sweep the doubleheader and the season series.
GAME 1: Kalamazoo 17, Albion 2 (7 innings)
The Kalamazoo offense scored in every inning except for the first, collecting 11 hits and 14 RBI. The Hornets scored six runs in the second, four in the third, one in the fourth, four in the fifth, and two in the sixth.
The second inning was highlighted by a Ryar Rinehart RBI double and a Harrison Poeszat two-RBI double. The Hornets scored the other three runs while the bases were loaded on a walk, a hit by pitch, and a fielder's choice. Two Briton errors helped Kalamazoo score two runs in the third, with a Cooper Mills sacrifice fly and a David Stechow single plating the other two. Another error in the fourth scored the Hornets' 11th run.
In the fifth inning, Mills, Liam Regan, and Alex Fenkell hit three consecutive singles to load the bases. Then, Rinehart launched his second grand slam and third home run overall to bring everyone around. A bases-loaded walk and a Rinehart sacrifice fly scored the final two runs for Kalamazoo.
Braden Mussat (3-0) threw five shutout innings on the mound, with Kaden Sotomayor allowing two unearned runs in the sixth and Chris Bullard tossing a clean seventh.
Rinehart went 4-4 at the plate with three doubles and a grand slam for six RBI. Mills and Poeszat had two RBI each, with Poeszat and Logan Lockhart also picking up doubles.
GAME 2: Kalamazoo 13, Albion 6
The Hornets had one big inning by scoring nine runs in the fourth. They also scored a run in the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth innings. Kalamazoo totaled 13 hits and 10 RBI while leaving 12 runners on base.
After an error on the Albion defense scored Kalamazoo's first run, the Hornets sent 14 hitters to the plate in the fourth. A Tanner Hawkins single scored two, then a Cooper Mills sacrifice fly and a wild pitch plated the next two. Ryar Rinehart kept his day going with a two-RBI double and then traded places with Lukas Bolton on his RBI double. Logan Lockhart finished the inning with a single that brought in two.
An RBI groundout in the fifth, an error in the seventh, and another Rinehart double in the ninth scored the Hornets' last three runs. The Britons scored once in the third, four times in the sixth, and once in the ninth.
Chase Cummins (2-1) went five and two-thirds innings in the win, allowing five runs (one earned) on 13 hits, two errors, and a walk. Ben Van Nes pitched the next two and a third scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Blake Parpart got the final three outs in the ninth.
Rinehart was 3-5 with two more doubles and three RBI. David Stechow, Harrison Poeszat, Bolton, and Hawkins also had multi-hit performances, with Mills, Lockhart, and Hawkins driving in two runs each.
Kalamazoo will play its seventh game in six days as Hope comes to Woodworth Field tomorrow (Apr. 12) after an exciting extra-inning game on Apr. 10, beginning at 4 p.m.