April 7, 2001
BASEBALL
Calvin split a doubleheader at Albion Saturday to end up taking two of three games of the weekend MIAA series. Calvin opened Saturday with a 6-0 shutout victory behind the 4-hit pitching of senior pitcher Aaron Wiers (Chicago, IL). In game two, Calvin dropped a heartbreaker in 10 innings, falling 1-0 with senior pitcher Ryan Wolthuis (South Christian) losing a no-hit bit in the seventh inning.
The doubleheader split moves Calvin to 10-8 overall and to 5-1 in the MIAA standings, leaving the Knights in first place in the conference race with two conference series under their belt.
In Saturday's opener, Calvin scored two runs in the first inning, using RBI singles from junior Andrew Drake (Marion, OH) and senior Dirk Eppinga (Walnut Creek, CA). Calvin then broke the game open in the sixth, scoring four times on the strength of five hits and two Albion errors. Senior Jason TeBos (Calvin Christian), senior Ross Hunderman (Holland Christian) and junior Matt DeHoek (Grand Rapids Christian) all delivered RBI singles in the uprising.
Meanwhile, Wiers (3-2) was spinning his second consecutive MIAA shutout victory as he limited the Britons to four hits while striking out seven batters and walking one. The complete-game performance by Wiers allowed the lefthander to lower his overall earned run average to 1.44.
Calvin collected 13 hits in the victory with Hunderman, junior Mark Jansen (Denver, CO), Eppinga and DeHoek all collecting two hits apiece.
In game two, Calvin received another superior pitching performance, this time coming from senior Ryan Wolthuis (South Christian). The 6-6 righthander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning but received no run support as the Knights left runners in scoring position in the first, third, fourth and sixth inning and then saw a threat ended on the seventh on a lineout to first base by junior Ben Dykhouse that resulted in an inning-ending double play.
Wolthuis (1-2) then had his no-hit bid erased in the bottom of the seventh as Albion's Dan Dreyer led off the inning with what appeared to be a game-ending homerun over the rightfield fence. After consulting, the umpires changed the call to a ground-rule double, ruling that the ball had bounced over the fence instead of clearing it on the fly. The Knights were then able to get out the jam, sending the contest into extra innings.
Wolthuis stranded Albion runners in the eighth and ninth to keep his shutout bid alive. The Knights then put runners on first and second with no outs in the 10th but failed to score. The Britons (9-12 overall, 2-4 MIAA) then ended the game in the bottom half of the inning, using four walks including a free pass with two outs and the bases loaded to provide the only run of the game.
The contest marked the fourth extra-inning game of the year for the Knights who fell to 2-2 in extra-inning games. Wolthuis took the hard-luck loss despite giving up just two hits. The South Christian graduate struck out 10 batters in nine and two-thirds innings of work but also walked 10 batters. Both of Wolthuis' pitching defeats have come in extra-innings this year.
Calvin collected eight hits in the loss but left 11 runners on base. Hunderman, Jansen and TeBos were credited with two hits apiece.
Batting just .234 as a team heading into the series, Calvin finished the three-game set with 30 hits in 95 trips to the plate for a .317 series team batting average.
Calvin will travel to Manchester Tuesday for a non-conference game scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm. The Knights will then open up a three-game conference homestand with Adrian next Friday at 4:00 pm in a single nine-inning game.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-7 GAMES
Calvin 5-1
Hope 2-1
Adrian 4-2
Alma 3-3
Albion 2-4
Kalamazoo 1-2
Olivet 1-5
SOFTBALL
Calvin's bats were once again held in check as the Knights split a conference doubleheader with visiting Albion Saturday afternoon at Calvin Field. Calvin scratched across two runs in the opener to gain a 2-0 shutout win but could only come up with six hits in the second game as the Knights were blanked 4-0.
The split leaves Calvin (8-11 overall, 2-4 MIAA) in fifth place in the MIAA standings with eight league games left on the schedule.
Freshman pitcher Keri Cole (Mason County Eastern) threw both games for Calvin and received both pitching decisions to see her record move to 6-5 on the year.
In the opener, Cole tossed her first collegiate shutout as she scattered five hits while striking out four batters and walking one. Calvin picked up its first run on an RBI double by junior Susannah Knust (Grandville) that scored freshman Tricia Balkema (Highland, IN) from second base. The Knights added an insurance marker in the sixth with junior Lindsay Heinkel (Milwaukee, WI) driving in senior Erin Dyksterhouse (Kalamazoo Christian) from second base with a two-out single to right.
Albion placed runners on second and third with one out in the top of the seventh but Cole ended the threat on a pop-up and a flyout to left field. Balkema collected two of Calvin's six hits in the victory.
In the nightcap, Calvin failed to come up with clutch hit, leaving runners in scoring position stranded in the first, third and sixth inning. Conversely, Albion (16-10 overall, 3-1 MIAA) came up with the big hit when it needed it, using a one-out double to score two runs in the second and a two-out single in the fifth to score two more.
Cole allowed eight hits and walked one batter in the loss while Dyksterhouse picked up two of Calvin's six hits.
Calvin returns to action Tuesday when it travels to St. Mary's for a conference doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Calvin split a pair of matches at a weekend invitational hosted by Wheaton College (IL), falling to the host Thunder Friday night 5-4 before coming back to defeat Bethel (MN) 9-0 Saturday afternoon. The weekend split leaves the Knights with a 7-4 overall record heading into a Tuesday conference match at MIAA-leading St. Mary's (10-0 overall, 3-0 MIAA).
In the loss to Wheaton, Calvin dropped two of the three doubles matches and then split the six doubles flights.
Tuesday's match at St. Mary's will begin at 3:00 pm.
Calvin 9, Bethel 0
at Wheaton, IL
SINGLES-1. Kait Disselkoen © d. Kim Carlson 6-1, 6-1; 2. Sally Skodinski © d. Jody Gustaffson 7-6, 6-3; 3. Jessica Bosma © d. Lindsay Davis 6-2, 6-0; 4. Anne Koldenhoven © d. Heather Brandis 6-1, 6-2; 5. Allison VerMeer © d. Megan Houston 6-0, 6-2; 6. Trisha Plaisier © d. Kate Hendal 6-2, 6-0.
DOUBLES-1. Disselkoen/Skodinski © d. Carlson/Davis 8-1; 2. Bosma/Koldenhoven © d. Lindsay Eggeman/Hannah Brandis 8-4; 3. VerMeer/Melissa DeWall © d. Gustaffson/Houston 8-1.
Wheaton 5, Calvin 4
at Wheaton, IL
SINGLES-1.Kait Disselkoen © d. Kerri Jorgenson 6-3, 6-2; 2. Rachel Zorn (W) d. Sally Skodinski 0-6, 6-4,. 6-1; 3. Jessica Bosma © d. Julie Long 6-3, 6-1; 4. Anne Koldenhoven © d. Ellen Covertson 6-4, 4-6, 6-0; 5. Anne Wisnowski (W) d. Allison VerMeer 6-0, 6-1; 6. Heather Waybright (W) d. Trisha Plaisier 7-5, 6-2.
DOUBLES-1. Disselkoen/Skodinski © d. Jorgenson/Waybright 8-6; 2. Zorn/Wisnowski (W) d. Bosma/Koldenhoven 8-2; 3. Long/Megan Donnegan (W) d. VerMeer/Melissa DeWall 8-3.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Despite strong winds and warm temperatures, the Calvin men's and women's track and field teams were able to put together several outstanding performances Saturday afternoon at the Laker Invitational hosted by Grand Valley State University.
The Calvin women's 4 x 100 meter relay team of junior Rachel Veltkamp (Grand Rapids Christian), junior Lindsay Mulder (Calvin Christian), freshman Dana Haan (Lynden, WA) and senior Megan Pierce (Fort Wayne, IN) highlighted the meet with a first place and NCAA III automatic qualifying time of 48.13. Veltkamp also came up with an NCAA III automatic qualifying effort of 11-6 ½ in the pole vault. Sophomore Anna VanDrie (Grand Rapids Christian) was close behind with a season-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying mark of 11-0 in the event.
Junior Mae Baber (Brandon, WA) also had a strong afternoon, winning the triple jump with a mark of 36-4 while also coming up with a career-best leap of 17-1 in the long jump. Baber's mark in the triple jump was just four inches short of her own school record.
Mulder was also superb in the long jump, winning the event with an NCAA III automatic qualifying performance of 18-8 while also winning the 200 meters in 26.30. Pierce took first place in the 400 meters with an NCAA III automatic qualifying time of 56.37 while Haan clocked in with a career-best time of 59.74 in the event.
On the men's side, Calvin was paced by junior Jason DeVries (Unity Christian) who came up with a personal-best mark of 14-9 in the pole vault. High winds concluded his competition prematurely as the bar was unable to stay up without being blown down. Junior Ryan Moore (Wexford, PA) and sophomores Nick VanderPlas (McBain) and Jason Chaddock (Wheaton, IL) also came up with big days in the throwing events as Moore and VanderPlas posted career-best efforts of 150-0 and 125-2 respectively in the discus while Chaddock had a career-best mark of 127-3 in the hammer throw.
Freshman Jeremy Knoester (Grand Rapids Christian) also had a career-best performance in the triple jump (42-0) as did freshman Jeff Konczal (Powell, OH) in the 400 meters (52.18).
Both Calvin teams will open defense of their MIAA titles next Wednesday when they compete against Hope and Olivet in league dual meets at Hope's Buys Athletic Complex at 2:00 pm.
-end-
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