CALVIN SPORTS REPORT (PART ONE) FOR APRIL 24, 2004
WOMEN'S TENNIS
ALBION - After one of the most heated dual match campaigns in MIAA women's tennis history, it was only appropriate that the MIAA Championships came down to a single point. St. Mary's captured the MIAA title on Saturday with a first place total of 79.5 points, one point ahead of host Albion to give the Belles back the overall MIAA crown that they had claimed in 2002. Calvin took fifth at the MIAA Championships with 58.5 points. Calvin had finished tied for first place in the MIAA dual match standings with St. Mary's and Albion at 6-1 and with the combination of finishes, took third in the final MIAA standings.
Calvin had two individuals reach championship finals in singles play as freshman Kari Lipinski (Fort Wayne, IN) was defeated in the final at No. 5 singles while sophomore Kim Bosscher (Calvin Christian HS) reached the final at No. 6 singles before falling.
At No. 4 singles, freshman Allyson Logan (Fort Wayne, IN) took third place as did sophomore Annie Huizenga (Unity Christian HS) at No. 3 singles. At No. 1 singles, sophomore Amy Zeilstra (Timothy Christian HS) took sixth while junior Rachel Pater (South Christian HS) took fourth at No. 2 singles.
In doubles play, Zeilstra and Pater took fifth at No. 1 doubles while Huizenga and Logan were fourth at No. 2 doubles. Lipinski and sophomore Kristina Plaisier (Kalamazoo Christian HS) took fifth at No. 3 doubles.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
2004 Women's Tennis Championships
Final Team Scores
Saint Mary's 79.5
Albion 78.5
Kalamazoo 69.5
Hope 64
Calvin 58.5
Adrian 23.5
Olivet 22.5
Alma 22
Final League Standings (Dual & League Tournament)
1. Saint Mary's
2. Albion
3. Kalamazoo
3. Calvin
5. Hope
6. Olivet
7. Adrian
8. Alma
MEN'S TENNIS
KALAMAZOO * A third place finish at the two-day MIAA Championships has allowed Calvin to finish third in the final league standings. Calvin took third at the two-day competition hosted by Kalamazoo College with a team score of 54 points, five points ahead of fourth place Albion.
Kalamazoo took first with 113 points to capture its 66th consecutive MIAA title * the longest conference championship streak in NCAA history at any level. Hope took second with 80 points while Alma was fifth and Adrian sixth.
In singles, Calvin's top finisher was sophomore Ryan DeNooyer (Kalamazoo Christian HS) who reached the championship final at No. 6 singles before bowing to Luke Marker of Kalamazoo 7-5, 7-5. Junior Jon Miedema (Grand Rapids Christian HS) also took third at No. 2 singles while junior Kevin VanHaitsma (Unity Christian HS) was defeated in the third place match at No. 1 singles. Senior Mark Betten (Kalamazoo Christian HS) also fell in the third place at No. 4 singles while freshman Dan Volkema (Holland Christian HS) fell in the third place at No. 3 singles. In addition, sophomore David Bratt (Grand Rapids Christian HS) was defeated in the third place match at No. 5 singles.
In doubles action, VanHaitsma and Volkema took third at No. 1 doubles while Miedema and Betten took third at No. 2 doubles with freshman David Sneller (Sheboygan, WI) and DeNooyer taking third at No. 3 doubles.
VanHaitsma was named to the All-MIAA first team for the third straight year while Miedema was named to the All-MIAA second team for a second straight year.
FINAL MIAA MEN'S TENNIS STANDINGS
1. Kalamazoo
2. Hope
3. Albion and Calvin College
5. Alma
6. Adrian
SOFTBALL
ADRIAN * Calvin closed out its MIAA regular season campaign with a doubleheader sweep at Adrian Saturday afternoon to finish second in the final regular season league standings, one game behind Alma. It marks the second straight year that Calvin has finished in second place in the regular season standings. The Knights receive the second seed for next weekend's MIAA Tournament which will be held next Friday and Saturday at Alma College. Top-seeded Alma (32-4) will face fourth-seeded Hope (19-15) at 1:00 p.m. next Friday in the second of two first round games. Calvin (19-13) will meet third-seeded St. Mary's (17-16) in the initial first round game on Friday, scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.. The double-elimination tournament will help decide the final league champion as well as the MIAA's automatic qualifier to the NCAA III Tournament.
Calvin is now one win away from reaching the 20-win plateau for the third straight year.
Calvin picked up the doubleheader sweep over Adrian by scores of 4-3 in eight innings and 5-3.
Calvin's game-one victory was its third extra-innings game of its conference campaign and its second MIAA win in extra-innings. Calvin trailed 3-2 heading into the top of the seventh and had no runners on with two outs in the top of the seventh when sophomore Jeanne Cole (Mason County Eastern HS) reached base with a single. A walk and then an error allowed Cole to score from third with the tying run. In the top of the eighth, freshman Andrea Wagner (Unity Christian HS) delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Knights a 4-3 lead. Junior Rachelle Heyboer (Fremont HS) then bore down to retire the side to gain the win, upping her pitching mark to 6-5 on the year.
In game two, Calvin needed another come-from-behind effort as the Knights fell behind 2-0 but rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, using two Adrian errors and a triple by sophomore Laurel Sands (Rockford HS). In the sixth, Calvin was able to piece together three runs on three hits, a wild pitch and another Adrian error to take a 5-2 lead. Freshman Ruth Anna Spooner (Twin Falls, ID) was able to limit the Bulldogs (9-22 overall, 2-12 MIAA) to one run in the seventh as she picked up the win in relief of starter Kara VanKooten (Anchorage, AK). VanKooten went the first five innings for the Knights and Spooner the final two with Spooner improving to 6-4 on the year.
Calvin will tune up for next weekend's MIAA Tournament with a non-conference doubleheader at Ferris State Tuesday afternoon scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m..
FINAL MIAA REGULAR SEASON SOFTBALL STANDINGS
Alma 12-2
Calvin 11-3
St. Mary's 9-5
Albion 8-6
Hope 8-6
Olivet 6-8
Adrian 2-12
Kalamazoo 0-14
BASEBALL
ALMA * Calvin continued to out hit the opposition but could only gain a doubleheader split at Alma Saturday afternoon as the Scots wound up taking two of three in the weekend series from the Knights. Calvin claimed the opener 4-2 but fell 3-1 in the series finale.
Calvin had more hits than Alma in all three games but continued to struggle to score runs. In game one Saturday, Calvin (12-20 overall, 4-8 MIAA) received a fine pitching performance from sophomore Andy Draayer (Denver, CO) as the big right-hander tossed his first complete-game victory of his collegiate career. Draayer (2-3) struck out four and walked three while limiting the Scots to five hits.
Calvin picked up 12 hits in the win but also stranded eight runners. Sophomores Mike Aggen (Evergreen Park, IL), Mark Tigchelaar (Grand Rapids Christian HS), junior Andy Bunting (Glen Lake HS) and Josh Vriesman (Denver, CO) and senior Darrell Heuker (Unity Christian HS) all picked up two hits apiece on the afternoon.
Calvin broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the third with Vriesman and Heuker collecting RBI singles. Alma would pick up just one hit against Draayer over the final four innings as the Knights snapped a two-game losing skid.
In game two, Calvin picked up seven hits to the five of Alma but stranded five runners. The Knights also gave up two unearned runs in the third as the Scots (12-16 overall, 6-6 MIAA) took the lead for good.
Freshman Ross Dykstra (Holland Christian HS) took the loss to fall to 3-2 on the year. Dykstra allowed five hits in 4.1 innings of work with sophomore Jory Trim (Grand Rapids Creston HS) pitching the final 1.2 innings for the Knights. Vriesman led the Knights at the plate by going 3-for-3 while senior Terry O'Neal (Muskegon Reeths-Puffer HS) went 2-for-3 with a double and the only run of the game for the Knights.
Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it face cross-town rival Aquinas at Fifth Third Ballpark at 4:00 p.m..
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-24 GAMES
Adrian 9-3
Albion 9-3
Hope 8-7
Olivet 8-4
Alma 6-6
Calvin 4-8
Kalamazoo 1-14
***A Men's and Women's Track and Field Report on the Hillsdale Relays will be sent out Sunday evening. Both Calvin teams produced several national caliber performances including a time in the 10,000 meters by senior Matt Edwards of Grand Blanc High School that is currently the fastest time in NCAA III men's track and field this spring**
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sun Apr 25 01:08:12 2004
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