SPORTS REPORT FOR Tuesday, MAY 7, 2002
BASEBALL
Calvin kept its MIAA title hopes alive with a 10-3 win over nationally-ranked
Hope Tuesday afternoon in the opener of an all-important three-game conference
series. Calvin upped its record to 26-11 overall and to 14-2 in the MIAA while
Hope saw its 26-game win streak come to end as the Flying Dutchmen fell to 28-4
overall and to 15-1 in the MIAA.
The two rivals are scheduled to meet in a Wednesday doubleheader scheduled to
begin at 2:00 p.m. at Calvin Field. Both games are scheduled seven inning
contests. Hope needs just one victory in the doubleheader to clinch the MIAA
title while Calvin needs a doubleheader sweep to do the same.
Calvin was sparked by a number of individuals on Tuesday, most notably seniors
Mark Jansen (Denver, CO) and Mike Noorman (Covenant Christian) and freshman Jim
Deters (Kalamazoo Christian).
A senior tri-captain, Jansen received his first playing time in nearly a month
after he had been sidelined with a fractured wrist suffered in an April 12 game
at Adrian. Jansen made the most of his playing time on Tuesday as he went
3-for-4 including a a pair of two-out RBI singles while also igniting a rare
triple play on defense in the top of the eighth inning. Noorman went 2-for-4 at
the plate including a two-run RBI double in the third inning that enabled Calvin
to take a 6-3 lead. A freshman right-hander, Deters went the distance in
gaining his school-record 10th victory of the season against just one defeat.
The victory was also the eighth of the year in MIAA play for Deters without a
defeat, establishing a new MIAA record for pitching victories in a season.
Deters scattered seven hits while striking out seven batters and walking just
two and did not allow a run beyond the second inning.
Hope took a 3-0 lead with three runs in the top of the second as the Flying
Dutchmen used two hits and a Calvin error to build the three-run lead. Calvin
battled back with three runs in the bottom half of the second with Jansen
delivering a key two-out RBI single in the rally and sophomore Terry O'Neal
(Muskegon Reeths-Puffer) then slicing a two-out, two-run RBI single to left that
tied the game at 3.
In the third, Noorman delivered a two-run RBI double to left and Jansen
followed with another RBI single that scored Noorman. Calvin then added four
runs in the fourth with sophomore Darrell Heuker (Unity Christian) belting a
two-run RBI single to left that allowed him to push his season RBI total to 33,
breaking the previous Calvin single-season record of 32 set by Tim Montsma in
1986.
Deters then allowed only four hits over the final five innings of play and was
aided by the triple play in the eighth. The play began on a sinking liner to
second that Jansen trapped with runners on first and second base. Jansen
flipped the ball to freshman Josh Vriesman (Denver, CO) for a force-out at
second base. Vriesman then delivered the ball in time at first to retire the
Hope batter attempting to reach base and first baseman Darrel Heuker followed
with a throw back to Vriesman at second who tagged a Hope runner headed back to
second who had been caught between second and third base.
With his seven strikeouts on the afternoon, Deters pushed his season total to
95 and his MIAA total to 66 - which are Calvin and MIAA single season records
respectively.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 5-7 GAMES
Hope 15-1
Calvin 14-2
Adrian 9-9
Olivet 6-9
Alma 5-10
Kalamazoo 4-12
Albion 3-13
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue May 07 2002 - 20:27:24 EDT