ANDERSON, Ind. – The Alma College baseball team hit the road once again and traveled to Anderson University in Indiana for their final non-conference doubleheader of the season. The Ravens took game one from the Scot but Alma rallied back to score 17 runs and beat Anderson in game two, splitting the series.
Alma was able to score first in game one as their lone run of the game came in the top of the third inning. Kyler Warren led the inning off being hit by a pitch which then led to him stealing second. Kevin Tuttle followed with a single up the middle allowing Warren to score from second to give the Scots the lead. The lead was short lived as the Ravens tacked on three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead and hold it for the rest of the game. Anderson added another three in the fourth inning and a solo run in the sixth for their eight runs, taking game one from Alma by a final score of 8-1.
Colin Czajkowski started on the mound for Alma going 3.2 innings and recording five strikeouts. Hayden Hileman came in and finished the final 4.1 innings as relief while only allowing one run and collecting four strikeouts.
Alma did not want to make a midweek trip without coming home with a win, so the offense did their job in game two. The Scots got the scoring going early as they were able to put a run on the board in the first. Warren singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before Mac Hawley would also single and score Warren, putting Alma up 1-0. The Scots added more runs in the second to extend their lead as Taha Ebrahim reached first on an error and advanced to second during the play. Cole Grunwald played small ball with a sacrifice bunt to send Ebrahim to third leading to a Brant Goodpaster RBI on a ground out to second, scoring the Scots second run. Mitch Foley and Warren both would draw walks in the next at bats as Tuttle stepped up to the plate. Tuttle's double to center field was enough to score both runners and put Alma up 4-0 early in the game.
Anderson was able to put a run on the board in the bottom of the second, cutting the Scots lead down to three, scoring on an error. Alma looked to keep pulling away from the Ravens and were able to do just that in the third. Hawley led the inning off with a walk and then advanced to third on a Stephen McGlade single. A sacrifice fly by Ebrahim was able to score Hawley, scoring the first of four runs. After Grunwald and Goodpaster were both walked, loading the bases, Foley was able to collect and RBI as McGlade was able to score. During the next at bat, a wild pitch scored the third run of the inning as all runners advanced forward 90 feet, putting Alma up 7-1. Warren would send the final run of the inning across the plate with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Goodpaster and putting Alma up by seven.
Again, the Ravens fought back and did not let the Scots pull away so easily as Anderson matched the Scots four runs in the bottom of the inning to bring the deficit back down to three. A solo run in the fourth and a pair of runs in the fifth brought the Ravens back to a tie game, putting Alma back on the hot seat after several innings of the offense being quieted.
The sixth inning saw both teams kept off the scoreboard, heading into the final innings of play. Alma broke the silence in the seventh with a Grunwald double and a Luke Lindsay walk to put runners on first and second. Foley scored the first run with a single to center field and Czajkowski scored the second also with a single to put Alma back up by two, 10-8. The eighth inning proved to be a long one for the Scots on offense as Alma exploded for seven runs to pull back away from Anderson. Avery Carnicom led the inning off with a double and Hawley put runners on the corners with a fielder's choice to the pitcher. McGlade would draw a walk to load the bases as Dalton D'Alexander was up to pinch hit. D'Alexander and Grunwald would be hit by pitches during the next two at bats to score two more runs for Alma before a pitching change came from the Ravens.
Following the pitching change, a passed ball allowed for each base runner to advance and allow for McGlade to score. With runners at first and third, Mitch Foley connected with a pitch to left field for a double to score both runners and leave home alone on the base paths on second. Foley advanced to third on a passed ball before crossing home plate on a double from Czajkowski. Carnicom scored the final run of the inning with a single to right field, sending Czajkowski home and putting Alma up 17-8.
Anderson would be held scoreless until the ninth inning where their late final outs push would not be enough as they would get one run to cross but Alma would take game two and split the day with the Ravens.
Warren was the starter on the mound for game two going four innings. Davin Reif was called upon in relief for Warren going one inning before Grunwald came in for the final four innings. Grunwald only allowed three hits and recorded five strikeouts while on the mound, while also recording the win and moving the 3-1 on the season so far. Foley tallied four RBI in game two while Czajkowski and Tuttle each recorded two.
Alma will now have a week off before opening up MIAA play against Adrian College on Friday, March 29th at Adrian. The Sots will then host the Bulldogs for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30th at Klenk Park for the home opener of the 2024 season.
