ALMA, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team traveled to Alma to play a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon (Apr. 23). The Hornets' 11-game winning streak was snapped after dropping game one 3-2, but the team bounced back for a 12-4 victory in game two and a season series win. Kalamazoo is now 13-2 in conference play and holds a two-game lead over second-place Adrian. The Hornets have won 20 of the last 22 games.
Game One
Kalamazoo scored the game's first run in the second inning as Lukas Bolton had a one-out double, and Tanner Hawkins brought him in on another double. Alma tied the game up in the same inning and then took a two-run lead in the fourth, with all three runs scoring on RBI singles.
The Hornets cut the deficit to one in the ninth as Ryar Rinehart drove in Harrison Poeszat on an RBI groundout. However, the Scots' ace pitcher threw a complete game and did not surrender another run, snapping the 11-game winning streak, tied for the longest all-time at Kalamazoo with the 1920 team.
Jacob Davis threw all eight innings for Kalamazoo, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits, two walks, and an error while striking out five.
Game Two
The offense started clicking in the second game, scoring seven straight runs before Alma got on the board. David Stechow got the third inning going with a single and eventually scored on a Poeszat double. The big inning was the fourth as Kalamazoo scored five runs. After two outs, Cam Kelly brought in Hawkins on an RBI single. Then Logan Lockhart, Stechow, and Poeszat were all hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring in one run. Rinehart then shot a single back to center field to score two runs, and then Cooper Mills was also hit by a pitch to bring in the final run. The seventh run came in the fifth inning as Stechow plated Robert Newland on a single.
The Scots got one run back in the fifth, but Kalamazoo scored another in the seventh on another RBI single by Kelly to bring in Hawkins. Alma would score another two runs in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to five. Braden Mussat (4-0) went seven innings in the win, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits and two errors with five strikeouts.
Chase Cummins pitched the eighth, giving up one run on two hits with a strikeout. The Hornets put the game out of reach in the ninth with another four runs. After Hawkins doubled, Newland was hit by a pitch, and Kelly had a bunt single; Stechow cleared the bases with a triple to right-center field. Rinehart would then bring in Stechow on an RBI single. Rinehart now has 53 RBI on the season, which makes him the single-season record holder after breaking Doug Propson's record of 52 from last season.
Brenden Oprinski threw the ninth inning for the Hornets and worked around two walks for a scoreless inning.
Stechow and Kelly were 3-5 in game two with Stechow collecting four RBI and Kelly driving in another two. Rinehart and Hawkins also had multi-hit performances as Rinehart drove in three and Poeszat had two RBI.
Kalamazoo will play its final non-conference game against Defiance with a single home game on Tuesday (Apr. 25), beginning at 4 p.m.