WESTFIELD, Ind. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team traveled to Grand Park for a pair of 9-inning non-conference games against Adrian and Hope on Saturday. The Hornets won both games to improve to 6-0, the best known start in program history.
Game One vs. Adrian
Kalamazoo defeated No. 17 Adrian, 4-1.
After seven scoreless innings, Kalamazoo scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning. Ben Chosid led off the inning with a single. Blake Bean followed with a double sending Chosid to third. Amani Karim then doubled to left field driving in Chosid. Following a pitching change and a flyout, Spencer Baldwin tripled to left center driving in Karim and pinch-runner Cooper Mills. After Doug Propson was hit-by-pitch, Harrison Poeszat singled in Baldwin for Kalamazoo's fourth run of the inning.
Adrian loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and pushed a run across with a walk. Doug Propson moved to the mound and ended the inning with a strikeout to get out of the jam. The Bulldogs put one runner on in the bottom of the ninth but could not get any closer as Propson ended the game with his second save of the season.
Jack Brockhaus went six innings in the start allowing no runs on five hits while striking out six and walking one. Parker Sisovsky did not allow a baserunner in the seventh. Propson struck out two in an inning and a third with the save.
Kalamazoo finished with nine hits in the game compared to eight by Adrian.
Blake Bean was 2-for-3 with a walk. Bean and Karim both had a double. Baldwin had a triple and two RBIs. Karim and Poeszat each had an RBI.
Game Two vs. Hope
Kalamazoo scored four runs in the first en route to a 7-2 win over the Flying Dutchmen. Kalamazoo had nine hits in the game while Hornet pitchers limited Hope to just three hits overall.
After loading the bases in the bottom of the first, Spencer Baldwin hit a double to drive in two runs. After a popout, Austin Duff's single drove in another pair of runs to make it 4-0.
Hope scored one in the top of the second before Kalamazoo put up another run in the bottom half on an RBI double by Noah Hecht.
The score remained 5-1 until the top of the fifth when Hope pushed another run across the board making it 5-2. Kalamazoo added two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh making it a 7-2 game until the end.
Noah Hecht and Spencer Baldwin each had two hits in the game including doubles. Lukas Bolton also had a double. Baldwin and Austin Duff each drove in two runs in the game.
Five Hornet pitchers combined to allow just three hits while striking out 14 and walking 11. Thomas Sylvester struck out five in three innings while Steven Shelton struck out four in two and two-thirds while earning the win. Brenden Oprinski struck out three while Joe Wade struck out two and earned the save.
Up Next
Kalamazoo is scheduled to host Albion in a single nine-inning game on Tuesday, March 23 at 4 p.m.