CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR APRIL 21, 2014
Softball Gains Split at Alma On Dramatic Walk-Off Blast by Vlot;
Baseball Splits at Alma - Remains in Second Place in MIAA Standings;
Men's Golf Third at Kalamazoo College Steven Tyler Invite
SOFTBALL
Alma 9, Calvin 6
Calvin 7, Alma 6
ALMA - A dramatic three-run walk-off home run by freshman Cassidy Vlot has allowed the Calvin softball team to maintain control of its MIAA Tournament destiny.
Vlot (Chowchilla, CA/Chowchilla HS) drilled a mammoth three-run homer down the left field line in the bottom of the seventh Monday afternoon that allowed the Knights to claim an improbable 7-6 game two win. Vlot's blast stayed just inside the left-field foul pole and landed more than 40 feet beyond the fence.
The home run allowed Calvin to salvage a doubleheader split against the host Scots as the Knights dropped the opener 9-6.
Calvin improved to 19-11 overall and more importantly to 7-5 in league play. The Knights host Albion in a conference doubleheader on Wednesday and Hope in a conference twinbill on Saturday. If the Knights can win three of their four remaining games, they would clinch a berth in the upcoming four-team MIAA Tournament.
In game one, Calvin and Alma combined for 24 hits and traded the lead early-on. Calvin took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Vlot but the Scots (12-14 overall, 5-7 MIAA) scored two in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead.
Calvin then put up a five-spot in the top of the second highlighted by run-scoring singles by senior Ashley Jakus (Muskegon/Muskegon Reeths-Puffer HS), senior Lina Avila (Lakewood, CA/Valley Christian HS) and sophomore Lydia Gildea (Gobles/Gobles HS).
Alma chipped back with two runs in the bottom of the second to make it 6-4 and then picked up three more in the fourth and two in the fifth to pull away for the win.
Senior Caitlin Callow (Muskegon/Muskegon Catholic Central HS) took the loss for Calvin to fall to 11-7 on the year. Jakus, Vlot and Avila all had two hits apiece.
In game two, Calvin took a 2-0 lead on a two-run RBI double by junior Merin Cok (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) in the bottom of the first but Alma rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 4-2 lead. The Scots added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, making any chances of a Calvin comeback look dim.
But the Knights were far from finished.
Senior Janelle Agren (Cadillac/Cadillac HS) led off with a single and sophomore Ashley Riemersma (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) followed with a single of her own. With one out, Jakus delivered an RBI single and junior Kelsey Pollock (Greenville/Belding HS) added an RBI single of her own to make the score 6-4.
Alma brought in a relief pitcher to face Vlot and with the count at 1-2, Vlot connected, sending a blast far into the night and giving Calvin an incredible comeback win. The home run was the first of Vlot's collegiate career.
Vlot also picked up the win in the pitching circle tio improve to 8-5 on the year.
Jakus went 3-for-4 in the win for Calvin while Pollock and Agren both had two hits.
Calvin's doubleheader against Albion on Wednesday is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
BASEBALL
Calvin 7, Alma 5
Alma 6, Calvin 3
ALMA - Calvin split a doubleheader against Alma Monday afternoon at Klenk Park, winning the opener 7-5 and dropping the nightcap 6-3. Calvin is now 18-12 overall and remains in sole possession of second place in the MIAA standings at 12-8, one game ahead of third place Kalamazoo (11-9) and two games in front of fourth place Hope (10-10).
In the opener, Calvin trailed 3-2 when it put up four runs in the top of the fifth keyed by a two-run RBI single by sophomore Jalen Bouma (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS) and an RBI double by freshman Colt Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS).
Alma (15-15 overall, 9-11 MIAA) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth but Calvin got a run back in the top of the seventh as sophomore Jordan VanderWall (Wyoming/South Christian HS) singled to center to bring home Bouma.
Junior Ben Guilfoyle (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield East HS) pitched a scoreless sixth in relief of starter Cory Laster (Ludington/Ludington HS) and senior Jeff Victor (Holland/Holland Christian HS) then pitched a scoreless seventh to record his sixth save of the year. Laster picked up the win to improve to 4-2 on the year.
Bouma and Jordan VanderWall had two hits apiece in the win. Junior Ben Wohl (Canton/Plymouth HS) scored a pair of runs while Cupery and Bouma had two runs batted in.
In game two, Calvin came from behind to tie the game 3-3 in the fourth as senior Kyle Spoelma (Grand Rapids/South Christian HS) singled and later came home on an error.
Alma retaliated with three hits in the fifth including a lead-off triple, and a home run to take a 5-3 lead. The Scots tacked on one more run in the sixth while Calvin was unable to score the rest of the way.
Senior Grant VanderWall (Wyoming/South Christian HS) took the loss for Calvin to dip to 1-4 on the year. Junior Grant Van Putten (Holland/Holland Christian HS) was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs while Bouma also had a pair of hits.
Calvin will now prepare for a four-game league series with Trine University that begins with a doubleheader at Trine on Thursday at 2 p.m.
MEN'S GOLF
PORTAGE - Calvin took third place at the Steve Tyler Invitational hosted by Kalamazoo College at the Moors Golf Club on Monday. Competing in a field of 13 teams, Calvin took third with a team score of 319 with Hope first at 315 and Cornerstone second at 318.
Calvin received a round of 77 from junior James Van Noord (Troy/Troy Athens HS) that was good for a tie for third place individually. Sophomore Justin Crow (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) was next for Calvin with an 80.
Sophomore Justin Zeigler (Mount Gilead, OH/Gilead Christian HS) and seniors Mark Allen (Oconomowoc, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) and Ross Ryzenga (Holland/Holland Christian HS) had rounds of 81.
Calvin will close out its season on May 3 when it hosts the Calvin Cup Alumni Tournament at the Watermark Country Club.
Received on Mon Apr 21 23:53:15 2014
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Mon Apr 21 2014 - 23:53:15 EDT