ALMA, Mich. – The Alma College baseball team looked to complete their series with the Bulldogs of Adrian College on Friday, March 29th, at Klenk Park. The Scots rallied from behind and ended up winning game one of the doubleheader in walk off fashion before game two is currently halted due to darkness as Alma tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and finishing the inning deadlocked.
In game one on the day, both team's bats were quiet for the first inning before Adrian was able to notch the first runs of the game, taking a 2-0 lead in the second. It took a couple innings for the Scots to respond, but in the fourth, Alma was able to cut the Bulldog lead in half. Kevin Tuttle led the inning off with a double to left center. Avery Carnicom followed suit and also hit a double to left center, scoring Tuttle and putting the Scots on the board. Alma would score the next runs of the game in the sixth as they were able to take their first lead of the game. Carnicom led the inning off with a solo shot over the left center wall to tie the game at twos. Colin Czajkowski then hit a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Mac Hawley. Cole Grunwald sent Czajkowski home with a single to left field, giving Alma their third run and the lead.
In the seventh, Tuttle was walked and would steal second leading to Carnicom drawing a walk, putting runners on first and second. Czajkowski again hit another double, this time to left center scoring both runners and giving Alma a 5-2 lead heading into the eighth. In the top of the inning, Walks led to the bases being loaded for the Bulldogs and a double would clear the runners as Adrian scored four to take a one-run lead over the Scots. The bottom of the inning saw a response from Alma as Cole Grunwald singled to left field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. A Charlie Martyn single was enough to score Grunwald and tie the game back up heading into the ninth, deadlocked at sixes.
Neither team scored in the ninth, calling for extra's where Adrian would strike first and put the pressure on Alma to respond. In the bottom of the tenth, Hawley and Mitch Foley both reached base with singles. Martyn was then walked to load the bases and Warren also was walked tying the game, 7-7. The next at bat saw Tuttle battling before wearing a pitch to the side and scoring the game-winning run on a walk off hit by pitch. Alma's 8-7 win in extra's tied the series with one more game left to be played.
Tyler Johnson started on the mound for Alma in the home opener, pitching five innings and recording four strikeouts. Hayden Hileman and Warren both came in as relief totaling for four more strikeouts as Warren picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the season.
With the series tied, both teams looked to score the crucial win in a heavyweight conference matchup. Alma was able to strike first, staring with a Kyler warren single up the middle. Carnciom followed behind with a single to advance Warren to second. Czajkowski added another RBI on the day with a single up the middle as well, scoring Warren and giving Alma a 1-0 lead, The Bulldogs answered quickly with two double in the top of the second, scoring five runs, giving them a four-run lead. Alex Kavalick led off the second with a triple down the right field line and would score two batters later on a Foley ground out to cut the Bulldogs lead to three. Alma's offense kept the ball rolling in the third as Tuttle led the inning off with a double and was sent home during the next at bat as Carnicom doubled down the left field line. Carnicom advanced to third on a ground out and then scored the Scots fourth run on a ground out to short by Hawley.
Adrian added an additional run in the fourth before adding another four in the fifth off of a grand slam, looking to pull away from Alma and try to snag game two. Alma looked to grind this game out as they were able to score three runs in the fifth. Tuttle would lead the inning off with a double to left field and advance to third during the next at bat. Czajkowski's single to right would score Tuttle, making the score 10-5. Hawley advanced Czajkowski to third with his single and Stephen McGlade then scored Czajkowski with his single to center field. After a pitching change for Adrian, Kavalick singled to right field, scoring Hawley and bringing the Scots within three.
Th Bulldogs added another three in the top of the sixth, extending their lead to six, but Alma still was not finished. Tuttle and Carnicom both were walked to lead off the inning. Czajkowski advanced both runners on a ground out, putting them into scoring position. Hawley also was then walked, loading the bases for McGlade. McGlade took advantage of the opportunity at hand and cleared all the runners with a double to left center, bringing the score now to 13-10 in favor of Adrian.
The eighth saw more fight from the Scots as Carnicom reached first by walk, and Czajkowski reached on an error. McGlade would load the bases after being hit by a pitch, setting the scene for Kavalick once again. Kavalick then doubled to left field, scoring Carnicom and Czajkowski to bring the Scots within one, still with life left in the game. It took the ninth for Alma to tie it up, but it was worth it as Carnicom got the scene started with a double to center field. Czajkowski would follow with a single to center, advancing Carnicom home and tying the game at 13-13 as daylight dwindled. A strikeout and fly out would round out the ninth leading to the game to be suspended due to darkness. A time to finish the game has not been determined at the moment.
Grunwald started the game on the bump for Alma going 4.2 innings with two strikeouts. Cam Jones, Zac Olesuk and Davin Reif all came in as relief for Alma, and notched four strikeouts combined.
Alma will wait to hear when the conclusion of the second game will be, but will look towards Tuesday, April 2nd, as they will host Calvin University. First pitch is slated for 4:00 PM.
