KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College baseball team hosted Defiance in a makeup non-conference game on Wednesday afternoon (May 3). After trailing for most of the game, the Hornets rallied from an 8-3 deficit with a five-run eighth inning and eventually won 9-8 on a walk-off double by Harrison Poeszat.
The pitching staff came into the game today knowing it would be a bullpen day, as eight pitchers were used in nine innings. Chase Cummins pitched the first inning, allowing a run on three hits with a strikeout. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead in the second off Gabe Sokol by scoring one run on a hit and three walks.
Kalamazoo tied the game in the third inning as Harrison Poeszat and Ryar Rinehart got the inning going with a double and a single. Both eventually scored on a Lukas Bolton sacrifice fly and a Tanner Hawkins RBI single. After Joe Wade pitched a scoreless third, Defiance scored two runs in the fourth, with only one being earned.
The Hornets got one run back in the fourth on an RBI single by David Stechow, but then the Yellow Jackets scored two runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take an 8-3 lead. Blake Parpart threw a scoreless fifth inning after working around two walks, and then Ben Van Nes came in for the sixth, allowing two runs on two hits. Two errors and a wild pitch helped Defiance get to Jaden Williams in the seventh as two unearned runs crossed the plate.
After Kaden Sotomayor pitched a scoreless eighth, Kalamazoo scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game up. The Hornets loaded the bases after a pitch hit Robert Newland, Logan Lockhart singled through the left side, and Cooper Mills laid down a bunt single. Poeszat doubled down the left field line for the first two runs, then Rinehart and Stechow hit back-to-back RBI singles. A dropped fly ball by Defiance allowed the tying run to cross the plate.
Brenden Oprinski (4-1) got Kalamazoo back to the plate with the game still tied after not allowing a run in the ninth with two strikeouts. A Newland walk got the game-winning run on base, and then he stole second to get into scoring position. After Mills also walked, Poeszat laced a double to the right-center gap to bring in Newland for the Hornets' 29th win of the season.
Poeszat tied a Kalamazoo College record with three doubles in one game after going 5-6 with three RBI. Rinehart and Stechow both had three hits, with Stechow driving in a pair and Rinehart collecting an RBI. Mills and Hawkins also had multi-hit performances.
Kalamazoo enters its last MIAA series of the regular season with a single road game at Adrian on Friday (May 5), beginning at 4 p.m. With one win in the three-game series, the Hornets would win the MIAA Regular Season Title outright after clinching a share this past weekend.