ALMA, Mich. – After a quick turnaround from a rescheduled game due to forecasted weather, the Alma College baseball team returned to action at Klenk Park against the Flying Dutchmen of Hope College. The contest saw 35 hits, four home runs and some heated moments as the Scots were able to pull away for their third conference win of the season by a final score of 23-13 in eight innings.
Hope's bats stayed hot from their Saturday win over The University of Olivet 22-1, as the Flying Dutchmen sent three runs across the plate in the opening inning to put Alma in a deficit early.
Alma responded right away in the bottom of the inning as Giuseppe Sapienza took a pitch over the left field wall for a solo home run and firing up the Scots dugout. Alexander Kavalick drew a walk following the home run just for Cameron Bleasdale to send him home right after with another home run, this time over the right field wall to bring the game to threes each side. Alma was able plate one more run in the inning as Kyler Warren sent Cole Grunwald home with a sacrifice fly, giving Alma the lead after one.
The Flying Dutchmen tied the game in the top of the second with a solo run coming across home plate, adding more hits to the games early total. Alma was able to pull away in the bottom of the inning as Justin Diaz singled and Grady Pieratt reached on a walk. Sapienza then reached on an error that loaded the bases as the Scots looked to take the lead again. Alma regained their lead with a Kavalick sacrifice fly, scoring Pieratt, followed by a Bleasdale double that would score Diaz for a two-run lead. Later in the inning Braylon Ryan doubled to center field, scoring McIntosh who replaced Sapienza and Grunwald for a four-run lead heading into the third.
Hope was kept off the board in the third and the Scots scored one as Diaz reached third after a couple singles and a ground out, then scoring on another single from Kavalick. The Flying Dutchmen brought their deficit within one in the following inning, scoring four runs on two home runs, bringing their dugout to life in an energetic early four innings. Hope then took their second lead of the game in the fifth with five runs coming across the dish, putting Alma in their largest deficit of the game with momentum sliding back-and-forth.
Alma cut the Hope lead down to two in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Pieratt after Charlie Martyn reached on a walk and Diaz singled. Diaz then advanced to third after a pick off attempt went sailing over the first baseman, putting himself onto scoring position. Kavalick the brought out the big stick for a triple to right center, easily scoring Diaz to bring Alma within two.
The Scots regained the lead in the sixth with three runs starting with a RBI single from Warren, scoring Grunwald who was walked. Martyn then followed suit with a single, scoring Ryan before a wild pitch scored Warren and advanced Martyn to second. Alma headed into the seventh with a 14-13 lead.
The Scots really opened the game and scoring back up in the seventh as Bleasdale scored Kavalick on an RBI double, before Bleasdale was then sent home by Ryan on an RBI single. Ryan stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch all before a Warren single down the left field line scored Ryan at home. With the bases loaded following a hit by pitch and a walk, McIntosh was also then hit by a pitch, sending one run home for the Scots. Kavalick added two more RBI on a single following the previous at bat, scoring Alma's 20th run of the game.
Alma would close the game out in the eighth as a Warren single scored Grunwald who was walked, followed by a Martyn single to score Ryan who reached earlier on a single. The final run of the game came on a Pieratt single through the left side, scoring Warren and giving Alma the run-rule win over Hope.
Pitching on the mound for the Scots was William Fockler getting the start, pitching three innings with two strikeouts. Kaden Warren saw two innings striking out four, followed by Brady Sager who picked up his second win. Sager pitched two innings with two K's. Evan Litwiller pitched the final inning, striking out one. On offense, every Scots batter recorded a hit in the game, with all but two collecting an RBI as well. The 23 runs scored and the 22 RBI both tie for fourth in the record book in their respective single game team category.
Alma will now look to a three-game series with The University of Olivet, this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. First pitch for Friday, April 3rd is set for 4:00 PM at Klenk Park.
