April 29, 2001
BASEBALL
Calvin remains alive in the MIAA title chase after a double-header split with
Alma Saturday but the Knights have work to do in order to defend their MIAA
title of a year ago.
Calvin took the opener of Saturday's doubleheader 1-0 behind a masterful
pitching performance from senior lefthander Aaron Wiers (Chicago, IL). Calvin
then saw a 2-0 lead vanish as the Scots scored six times in the top of the fifth
to go on to a 6-2 victory.
The split leaves Calvin at 18-12 overall and more importantly at 11-4 in the
MIAA. Hope has sole possession of first place in the MIAA standings at 7-2
while Calvin and Alma (8-4 MIAA) are two games back in the loss column.
Alma will host Hope next Friday and Saturday in a three-game conference series
with Calvin slated to close out its MIAA season on May 8 and 9 in a three-game
series at Hope.
In Saturday's opener, Wiers tossed a two-hit complete-game shutout while
striking out nine batters to up his pitching record to 5-2 on the year. The
shutout win was the third of the year for Wiers as he lowered his ERA to 1.50 on
the year. With his nine strikeouts, Wiers raised his career strikeout total in
conference play to 108, moving him into a tie for third place on the all-time
MIAA strikeout list with 1997 Alma graduate Andy Jacobsen.
Calvin scored the only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning as the
Knights used two Alma errors to place runners on second and third. The Knights
then unsuccessfully attempted a suicide squeeze bunt, leaving Calvin senior Dirk
Eppinga (Walnut Creek, CA) caught in a run-down between third and home. During
the rundown, Eppinga was obstructed by the Alma catcher and was awarded home
plate to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The lone run would hold up as Wiers retired the next nine Alma batters in
succession. Sophomore lefthander Chris Krebs also threw an outstanding game for
the Scots as he held Calvin to just three hits while striking out 10 batters but
was charged with the loss to fall to 1-4 on the year.
In game two, Calvin took a 2-0 lead on a two-out, two-run homer to right by
junior catcher Ben Dykhouse (Grand Rapids Christian) in the bottom of the third
that also scored junior third baseman Matt DeHoek (Grand Rapids Christian) who
had led off the inning with a double.
It appeared that Calvin would maintain the lead until the fifth inning when the
Scots mounted a two-out rally off of Calvin starter Ryan Wolthuis (South
Christian). After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Wolthuis
allowed a hit by Alma's Steve Slowke. Slowke's two-out single sparked a rally
that led to a walk and four more Alma hits as the Scots scored six times to grab
a 6-2 lead.
Calvin mounted a two-out rally of its own in the bottom of the fifth but left
the bases full with Dykhouse just missing his second homerun of the game on a
ball that cleared the fence by 10 feet but blew just foul of the rightfield foul
pole.
Calvin then put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh but left both
runners stranded as the Knights ended the game on a groundout and flyout.
Wolthuis (3-3) suffered the loss as he allowed 10 hits in 4.2 innings of work
while striking out four and walking two. Senior Adam Marcionetti (Oak Park, IL)
and junior Matt Schmitz (Ionia) also saw time on the mound in relief for the
Knights. Todd Albee (2-1) was the winning pitcher for the Scots as he scattered
six hits while striking out two and walking three. DeHoek was the only Calvin
player with multiple hits as he went 2-for-2 in the loss.
Calvin returns to action Monday when it hosts Grand Valley State at 4:00 pm.
The GVSU contest will be the first of four non-conference games for the Knights
this week as they will journey to Siena Heights next Friday and then host Spring
Arbor in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-29 GAMES
Hope 7-2
Calvin 11-4
Alma 8-4
Adrian 4-7
Olivet 4-7
Albion 4-8
Kalamazoo 3-9
SOFTBALL
Calvin dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader with visiting Capital
University Saturday afternoon, falling 2-0 and 10-1 to finish the season with a
14-22 overall record. The Knights will host Grand Rapids Community College
Monday at 3:30 pm in a doubleheader that will not count on Calvin's final
won-loss record as the contests will be against a two-year institution.
In Saturday's opener with Capital, Calvin battled the Crusaders to a scoreless
tie through five innings with the Knights placing runners on second base in the
first, fourth and fifth innings but failing to score. Capital then broke
through for two runs in the top of the sixth for the only runs of the game.
Junior Jennifer Bowen (Troy) took the loss for Calvin to fall to 3-9 on the year
as she struck out two batters and walked one. Calvin finished with six hits in
the loss with freshman Tricia Balkema (Highland, IN) going 2-for-4 at the plate.
In game two, Capital scored four times in the second, added a run in the third
and scored five more runs in the fifth as the Crusaders (22-14-1) went on for
the 10-1 win. Sophomore Erin Osgerby (Caledonia) took the loss for the Knights
to fall to 3-7 on the year. Capital finished the game with 16 hits while Calvin
had five. Juniors Susannah Knust (Grandville) and Lyndsay Heinkel (Milwaukee,
WI) finished with two hits apiece for the Knights.
Calvin's final MIAA conference standing was also decided on Saturday as Adrian
swept both ends of a league doubleheader from Olivet, dropping the Comets to
3-11 in the MIAA. The Adrian sweep allowed the Knights to finish in a tie for
sixth place with St. Mary's in the league standings while Olivet finished
eighth.
FINAL MIAA REGULAR SEASON SOFTBALL STANDINGS
Alma 13-1
Hope 12-2
Albion 9-5
Adrian 6-8
Kalamazoo 5-9
Calvin 4-10
St. Mary's 4-10
Olivet 3-11
-end-
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Apr 29 2001 - 15:44:37 EDT