On Thursday afternoon, the Alma College baseball team traveled to Holland to take on league rival Hope College in a doubleheader. In game one, the host Flying Dutchmen got the best of the Scots by a score of 6-3 and in the nightcap, Hope outlasted Alma by a margin of 3-2 in eight innings.

After today, Alma is now 9-13 in the MIAA and 15-17 overall, while Hope improved to 16-18 in 2014 and 12-10 in the league.

Game 1

Alma got off to a fast start in the opening game by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning but little did they know at the time that it would be all that they would muster for the entire game.

With one out, Fr. SS Alex Peczynski (Farmington Hills/Detroit Catholic Central) was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Jr. 3B Juan Dominguez (New York/NY/Blue Ridge). After a fly out, Jr. DH Mostafa Ghonim (East Elmhurst, NY/W.C. Bryant) was hit to load the bases.  Jr. 2B Jose Rosado (Corona, NY/Bryant) then doubled to center field, emptying the bases for a 3-0 Alma lead.

Hope answered with a single run off of Alma starting Sr. P Kevin Thompson (Petoskey/Petoskey) with a walk and then a triple to cut the first inning deficit to 3-1.

The game remained that way until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Flying Dutchmen would touch up the Scots for four runs to take a 5-3 advantage. The had six hits to go with the four runs and they chased Thompson, as So. P Blake Ordiway (Holly/Holly) came on in relief.

Hope would increase their lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fifth off of Ordiway on a hit and an Alma error. The three-run margin would end up being more than enough for the home team to walk off the field with the opening game victory.

The only real offensive threat for the Scots after that first inning came in the top of the seventh, when the visitors were able to get two runners on base via an error and a single. However, Alma could not capitalize and came up short in the end.

In his 6.1 innings of work, Thompson gave up six hits and five earned runs to go with one walk and one strikeout. Ordiway gave up three hits  and an unearned run in his 1.1 innings, while Jr. P Roderick MacNeil (Brethren/Brethren) and So. P Matt Launstein (Flushing/Flushing) combined on a scoreless sixth inning.

Game 2

Runs were tough to come by in the nightcap as a pitching duel developed between Hope's Austin Goodyke and Alma starting So. P Colin Nash (Brighton/Brighton). The Scots were able to muster just three singles through the first four innings, while Hope went hitless against Nash during the first four frames.

In the top of the fifth, So. CF David Carles (Staten Island, NY/Petrides) singled to lead off the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. So. C Doug Walters (Brighton/Brighton) followed with an RBI single for a 1-0 Alma lead.

The Flying Dutchmen answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth frame as a hit batter, a stolen base and two-out double tied the game at 1-1. Then, Hope took the 2-1 advantage on a single following an Alma error.

The Scots entered the top of the seventh still down by one when Rosado led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt by Carles. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Rosado scored on an RBI single by Ghonim, tying the contest at 2-2.

After Alma did not score in the top of the eighth, Hope came up with a chance to win it. With Ordiway on the mound in relief, the Flying Dutchmen got a leadoff single and a sac bunt moved him to second. Following a walk, Hope got the game-winning RBI single down the right field line to earn the 3-2 extra innings victory.

Nash ended up throwing 4.2 innings and gave up just two hits and the one earned run to go with three strikeouts and no walks. Ordiway took the loss (1-1) by throwing the final 1.1 and giving up two hits and the game-winning run. Ghonim led the team at the plate by going two for two in the loss.

The two teams will play another doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Klenk Park in Alma. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.