CSR (Baseball Splits With Adrian/Softball Swept by Alma)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR April 24, 2009

Baseball Splits With Adrian;
Softball Swept by Alma

BASEBALL
Calvin 8, Adrian 2
Adrian 11, Calvin 8

ADRIAN – In the opening day of a four-game series with nationally-ranked
Adrian, Calvin gained a doubleheader split, defeating the 21st-ranked Bulldogs
8-2 in game one before falling 11-8 in game two.

Calvin is now 15-14 overall and 12-6 in the MIAA. Adrian remains on top of the
MIAA standings at 18-2 in league play and is 24-8 overall.

In game one, Calvin junior Ben Sietsema (Northpointe Christian HS) came up
with another pitching gem, tossing shutout ball for six innings before giving
up two harmless runs in the seventh. Sietsema (6-1) allowed only four hits as
he outdueled Adrian ace pitcher Ryan Domschot with Domschot (8-1) suffering his
first defeat of the season.

Calvin grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind five hits with senior
Chris Blacklidge (Comstock Park HS) stroking a run-scoring single and senior
Kyle Cousins (Holland Christian HS) collecting a two-run RBI single one at bat
later.

In the fifth, freshman Tyler Berger (Grand Rapids Christian HS) poked a
two-run homer over the rightfield fence. In the seventh, junior Matt Schepel
(Grand Rapids Christian HS) crushed a three-run homer over the centerfield
wall.

Junior Kyle Gurzynski (Ludington HS), Schepel and Berger all had two-hit games
in the game one win.

In the nightcap, Calvin grabbed a 4-2 lead with three runs in the top of the
first and one in the top of the second with Berger connecting on his second
homer of the day and his third of the year in the second. Adrian came back with
three runs in the bottom of the second however and added two in the third and
one in the fourth to build an 8-4 lead.

Calvin then rallied with a four-run fifth as Schepel blasted his fourth home
run of the season – a solo shot – and freshman Jake Van Alten (Holland
Christian HS) later ripped a two-run RBI single.

Adrian responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and added a single
insurance run in the sixth to keep the Knights at bay.

Schepel went 3-for-4 in the loss with three RBI’s. All three of his hits
were of the extra-base variety as he also blasted a pair of doubles. Berger and
Blacklidge also had two hits apiece. Senior Nate Pocock (Wayland, MA) had a
double for Calvin.

Adrian outhit Calvin 17-11 with three Bulldogs collecting three hits apiece.
Alex Webster (6-1) picked up the win for Adrian while Peter Steiner (3-2) took
the loss for Calvin.

The two teams will tangle tomorrow at Calvin Field in a doubleheader slated to
start at 1:00 p.m.

MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-24-0 GAMES

Adrian 18-2
Olivet 13-3
Calvin 12-6
Albion 8-10
Alma 7-11
Hope 7-11
Trine 4-14
Kalamazoo 3-15

 
SOFTBALL
Alma 4, Calvin 0
Alma 10, Calvin 2

By Chaz Amidon

GRAND RAPIDS—Coach Emily Bustrum hoped that two non-conference wins last
Saturday would jumpstart the Knights during their last week of league action.

But now, after dropping consecutive home doubleheaders, Calvin is just two
games away from its first winless season in the MIAA.

The Knights frittered away an early 2-0 advantage in Game Two against
Alma—their only lead of the day—and the third-place Scots swept Calvin
4-0 and 10-2 at Gainey Field on Friday afternoon.

“We weren’t able to string some hits together and make the plays that were
needed,” said Bustrum. “We played a couple great innings of ball, held them
tight. We just couldn’t get the runs we needed.”

Regardless of what happens in tomorrow’s league finale against Olivet,
Calvin (4-27, 0-12) will finish the 2009 season in last place. The Knights were
handed a pair of pivotal losses by seventh-place Albion (12-20, 3-11) on
Wednesday, which ruled out their chances of ascending in the conference
standings.

Calvin has now lost 19 of its last 21 and will miss the MIAA Tournament for
the fourth straight year.

“We are not a bad team,” said freshman Marie Prins (Hudsonville/Unity
Christian). “We just have not been able to win.”

Whisper Miller (Hersey/Reed City) scored on an infield error and Mallissa
VanRooyen (Beamsville, ON/Smithville Christian) laid down a sac bunt RBI to
give the Knights a 2-0 lead in the second inning of Game Two.

One inning later, the Scots uncorked five runs—four of which were
unearned—on Kristin Folkerts (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian), who
was saddled with both losses on Friday. Alma went on to score four runs in the
sixth, inducing the eight-run mercy rule and ending the contest one inning
early.

Knights’ batters combined for just two hits in Game Two, compared to a
five-hit performance in the opener. They also stranded eight runners throughout
the afternoon.

“It’s so important when runners are on to execute in the batter’s
box,” said Prins. “We need to get them in.”

Folkerts (4-18) allowed only two earned runs in Game One, where Alma used
three infield singles to pull ahead, 4-0, in the fifth inning. Prins, who went
2-for-3 in the first contest, lined a single to centerfield and Loren
Scarbrough (Antioch, IL/Antioch Community) reached first on a slow grounder.
But the Scots’ Tara Leddy (11-3) fanned two straight batters, and the Knights
abandoned two crucial runs on base.

Leddy pitched a complete game shutout, recording 10 strikeouts while issuing
only one walk.

Alma’s Brittany Grys (9-5) picked up the win on the mound in Game Two. She
compiled five strikeouts and allowed just two singles—one to Jenn Vanden
Akker (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian, and other to Jacqueline Kirkman
(Oregon, OH/Oregon). Both of Calvin’s runs were unearned.

The Knights will wrap up their MIAA season tomorrow against sixth-place Olivet
(19-11, 3-9) at Gainey Field. Game One is slated to start at 1:00 p.m.

“For the ladies, for the incoming freshmen next year, for the new recruits,
for the program itself, to come up with two wins at the end of the season is
big,” said Bustrum. “We will never quit. Until the season is done we will
give 100 percent, leave it all on the field.”

MIAA SOFTBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-24-09 GAMES

Trine 10-2
Adrian 11-3
Alma 11-3
Hope 8-6
Saint Mary’s 6-6
Olivet 3-9
Albion 3-11
Calvin 0-12

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Fri Apr 24 21:23:43 2009