CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR APRIL 17, 2010
Baseball Slits Twinbill With Kalamazoo;
Softball Splits Game at North Central;
Men's Tennis Defeated by Hope
BASEBALL
Kalamazoo 8, Calvin 6
Calvin 3, Kalamazoo 1
A dominating one-hit pitching performance by Calvin junior Keith Spoelstra
allowed the Knights to split a doubleheader with visiting Kalamazoo Saturday
and win three of four in the series. A native of Oakland, New Jersey, Spoelstra
(Eastern Christian HS) carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before giving
up a one-out solo homerun to right by Kalamazoo's Alex Crook. Spoelstra retired
the final eight batters however, facing just one batter above the minimum in
gaining his fourth victory of the year. Spoelstra (4-2) struck out five batters
and walked one. He is now 3-1 in league play with a 1.35 earned run average
against conference opponents.
Spoelstra received all the run support he would need in the bottom of the
second inning as freshman Drew Vos (Grand Rapids Christian HS) ripped a two-run
homer to right that also scored freshman Ben Cok (Grand Rapids Christian HS)
who had reached base on a two-out walk. Cok then drove in an an insurance run
in the sixth, blooping a single to left that scored sophomore Tyler Berger
(Grand Rapids Christian HS) who led off the inning with a single.
Cok and Vos both had two hits in the game two win.
In game one, Kalamazoo (10-14 overall, 5-11 MIAA) grabbed early control with a
run in the first and five more in the second to take a 6-0 lead. The Hornets
chased Calvin starter Jeff Groenewold (Chicago, IL) in the fourth inning after
Calvin (10-14 overall, 7-9 MIAA) had whittled the lead down to 7-4. Kalamazoo
added an important insurance run in the fourth to go up 8-4. Calvin then scored
two runs in the bottom of the seventh to creep to within 8-6 and had the bases
loaded with one out but a strikeout and a pop-up ended the comeback bid for the
Knights.
Kalamazoo collected 15 hits off of three Calvin pitchers in the win. Calvin
was credited with five hits and reaped the benefits of three Kalamazoo errors
to score three unearned runs. Kalamazoo's pitching staff also issued six walks.
Junior Andrew Bosma (Holland Christian HS) drove in a pair of runs while
seniors Rob Kool (Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Kyle Gurzynski (Ludington HS)
also drove in one run apiece.
At 7-9 in league play, Calvin is now in sole possession of fifth place in the
MIAA standings, one game ahead of 6-10 Alma and two games behind third place
Albion (9-7) and Trine (9-7).
Calvin returns to action on Monday when it travels to Davenport for a
non-conference game scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-17-10 GAMES
Adrian 14-2
Hope 12-4
Albion 9-7
Trine 9-7
Calvin 7-9
Alma 6-10
Kalamazoo 5-11
Olivet 2-14
SOFTBALL
NAPERVILLE, IL -- Calvin split a pair of non-conference games on Saturday at
the North Central College Invitational, defeating Monmouth College 8-0 and then
falling to North Central 9-0. Calvin is now 9-13 on the year.
In the win over Monmouth (10-15), freshman Shelby Mast (Hudsonville HS),
tossed a three-hit shutout. The shutout was the third of the year and second of
the week for Mast who struck out 10 batters and walked three.
Calvin scored two runs in the second, five in the third and one in the seventh
to give Mast plenty of scoring support. In the third inning, freshman Hannah
DeWeerd (Grand Rapids Christian HS) cracked a three-run homer - her third home
run of the spring.
Calvin came up with nine hits in the win led by junior Sass VanRooyen
(Beamsville, ON) who was 2-for-5 and senior Mandy Johnson (Northpointe
Christian HS) who was 2-for-3.
In the loss to North Central (23-6), the host Cardinals broke open a 1-0 game
by scoring five runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth. Mast (8-10)
took the loss, striking out five and walking one. Of the nine runs Mast
allowed, seven were unearned.
Calvin had six hits but did not have a batter with more than one.
Calvin returns to action on Monday when it faces Davenport University in a
non-conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Recreation
Center in Kentwood.
MEN'S TENNIS
(written by Calvin Sports Information Student Assistant Mitch Blankespoor)
The Calvin Knights men’s tennis team took on rival Hope at the Strikwerda
Tennis Courts on the campus of Calvin College Saturday. Hope was victorious
defeating the Knights 6-3.
The doubles matches proved to be the tightest of the whole day. First doubles
was the first match to get off the courts. Gardner and Cawood for the Dutch
defeated Phillips and Eldridge of Calvin 8-0. Calvin’s head coach John Ross
opted to diversify his doubles lineups putting his third and second singles
players at first doubles. Hope head coach Steve Gorno went a different way
playing his best two singles players at one doubles.
Third doubles was next off the court. Calvin’s Andrew DeVlieger (Northpointe
Christian) and Jon Goorhouse (Holland Christian) defeated Hope’s Casler and
Doezema 8-6. Gorno switched up his lineup strategy in this match calling on
his third and fifth singles players. Ross put his first singles with a doubles
specialist in Jon Goorhouse.
Perhaps the match of the overall match was at second doubles. Andrew Rescorla
and Brian DeMaagd of Calvin faced off against Lautz and Garland of Hope.
Rescorla and DeMaagd got up a break, and held it until 7-6. Rescorla was
serving match point, and Garland came up with a huge passing shot down the line
just out of DeMaagd’s reach. Hope then went on to win the match 9-7 and the
doubles overall 2-1.
“It was tough in the wind out there, but they were playing in the same
conditions we were. We had our chances to get a big lead early, but did not
capitalize” Calvin senior Andrew Rescorla said after the match.
The singles matches were much more straightforward. Hope won first and second
singles very convincingly. John Gardner defeated Andrew DeVlieger 6-1, 6-0,
and Roland Eldridge fell to Bobby Coward 6-1, 6-2. Calvin won third singles
6-3, 7-5 as Preston Phillips defeated John Lautz. Andrew Rescorla defeated
Gabe Caster 1-6, 6-3, 6-0. Hope took the final two flights, however. Michael
Garland beat Brian Demaagd 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 and Alex Hughes defeated Phil Reinken
6-3, 6-2.
“We knew it was going to be close. It came down to a few points, and Hope
capitalized on those points” Calvin head coach John Ross.
Received on Sat Apr 17 22:32:52 2010
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