KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team played the final game of the season series against Hope at home on Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 18). After winning the first two games, the Hornets completed the series sweep with a 9-7 victory as that was the first season sweep over Hope in program history. Kalamazoo is now 11-1 in conference play and holds a 3.5-game lead over second-place Alma. The Hornets have won 10 straight and 18 of the last 19 games.
Kalamazoo scored the game's first three runs, two in the first inning and one in the second. Harrison Poeszat was hit by a pitch for the 19th time this season and the 33rd time in his career, both the most in Kalamazoo record books. That set up the first inning as David Stechow doubled to right center for the first run, and Lukas Bolton singled in the other. After Cam Kelly walked and Logan Lockhart singled in the second, Cooper Mills laid down a safety squeeze bunt that allowed Kelly to score the third run.
Hope evened the score in the third with three runs and scored another in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The Hornets responded with three runs in the fourth inning to regain a 6-4 advantage. The bases loaded up as a pitch hit Robert Newland, Lockhart singled, and Mills walked. Poeszat did some damage by shooting a two-RBI single out to left center. Ryar Rinehart picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to plate Mills.
Chase Cummins (3-1) started on the bump for Kalamazoo, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in the win. The lead was extended to four in the sixth as the bases loaded back up. Mills walked, Rinehart singled, and Stechow reached on an error. Bolton lifted a sacrifice fly for the first run, and Tanner Hawkins doubled in the second.
The Flying Dutchmen scored two unearned runs in the seventh while Ben Van Nes was pitching to cut the deficit back to two. Then, Hope scored another in the eight to climb within one of Kalamazoo. Fortunately, the Hornets grabbed an insurance run in the eighth as Stechow laid down a safety squeeze to score Rinehart, who tripled in the previous at-bat.
Brenden Oprinski (2) relieved Van Ness in the seventh and shut the door on the Flying Dutchmen. He earned his second three-inning save against Hope this season, allowing one run on a hit and a walk with three strikeouts.
Rinehart stayed hot after his dominant week last week by going 3-4 with a triple, an RBI, and three runs scored. Lockhart also had a multi-hit game as Poeszat, Stechow, and Bolton all collected two RBI.
Kalamazoo will begin a three-game series against second-place Alma with a single home game on Friday (Apr. 21), beginning at 4 p.m.