HOLLAND, Mich. – Returning to action against the Flying Dutchmen of Hope College, the Alma College baseball team scored 23 runs for the second time in as many games against Hope while breaking a 45-year-old single season team record for home runs. The Scots hit five home runs total in the game to notch their 28th as a team for the season, passing the previous record of 26, set in 1981, as well as setting the single-game home run record that was most recently tied in 1994. The Scots blew past the Flying Dutchmen by a final score of 23-13 for the second time this season.
Alma opened the scoring right away as Grady Pieratt, fresh off being named to the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week, sent a double into left field. Pieratt would score on a Cameron Bleasdale single to right field. Braylon Ryan singled to right as well and advanced to second on a fielding error. Kyler Warren sent both Bleasdale and Ryan home to score on a single to left field, putting Al a up 3-0.
Alma blew the doors open in the second inning, increasing their lead as Cade Sutherland would be hit by a pitch, Pieratt reached first on a walk, and Giuseppe Sapienza also reached by a walk to load the bases. Alexander Kavalick scored the innings first two runs on an RBI single to left field, sending Sutherland and Pieratt around third. Bleasdale followed behind with another single to load the bases once again. Ryan, who pounded his first collegiate home run last weekend, send another ball deep over the outfield wall, for his first collegiate grand slam, sending four more runs across the plate for a 9-0 lead through two innings. The Flying Dutchmen broke their silence with two runs in the bottom of the second, bringing their deficit to seven.
The third saw the hot bat of Pieratt send a ball over the outfield wall, for his first collegiate home run and the Scots second home run of the game, bringing the lead back to eight, leading 10-2. The fifth saw Mr. Pieratt send another ball outside the park, tying the 45-year-old record for home runs in a single season with 26 on the year in 27 games, leading 11-2. Again, Hope inched away from the run-rule territory as the Flying Dutchmen scored another two runs, bringing their deficit back to seven after the fifth.
The Scots sixth inning again erupted with runs as Warren and Justin Diaz both singled to reach base. Charlie Martyn then got struck by a pitch to load the bases, where Sutherland sent a double down the left field line, scoring Warren and Diaz for the innings first two runs. Pieratt followed behind with a walk and Kavalick later followed with a walk as well to score a run with the bases loaded. The walks kept coming for the Scots as Bleasdale secured a walk to score a run as well, followed by a wild pitch that would score Pieratt for a 16-4 lad for Alma in the middle of the sixth. Hope would bring in two more runs again to bring the Scots lead to ten heading into the seventh, approaching the run-rule.
Warren helped the Scots chanced to put the game away early with a single to left field followed by Diaz who would be credited with the history making 27th home run of the season, breaking the 1981 teams record, for the Scots fourth home run of the game. Alma took a 18-6 lead into the bottom of the inning before the hosts plated four runs to narrow the Scots lead to eight, extending the game.
Both teams' offenses went quiet in the eighth as Alma still controlled an eight-run lead heading into the final inning. Martyn was the Scots first base runner in the ninth with a single to center. Martyn advanced to second on a wild pitch and would ultimately score on a dropped third strike that was sent over the first baseman's head, scoring Martyn in the background. Pieratt then drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Kavalick collected another double on the season with one to left field, scoring Sutherland and Pieratt for Alma's 20th and 21st runs. Bleasdale joined the big hitters party in the next at bat with his own two-run home run, his second of the series, and the Scots 28th of the season, pulling away with the new record. Bleasdale's homer would give the Scots five for the day, a new single game record, most recently set in 1994 with four while tied with a previous record set in 1952, to help pull away with a 23-13 victory to secure the series against Hope.
Josh Soneral was the Scots starter on the mound, pitching five innings with seven strikeouts, his career-high, while collecting his third win of the season. Hayden Ruff, Tyler Lasley and Ryan Koob all saw relief action as well. Evan Litwiller collected one strikeout, along with Brady Sager, who recorded the final out for the Scots series clinching win.
Alma will return to action looking to increase the record-breaking season on Friday, April 10th, as they will travel to Trine University to open the series. First pitch for the series opener is set for 4:00 PM in Angola, Indiana.
