CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 7, 2015
Baseball Wins Two - Advances to MIAA Tournament Finals Against Adrian;
Calvin Track and Field Athletes Receive MIAA MVP Awards and All-MIAA Honors
BASEBALL
Calvin 6, Kalamazoo 2
Calvin 10, Hope 3
ADRIAN - The Calvin baseball team remains alive in the double-elimination MIAA Tournament. Fighting their way through the loser's bracket, the Knights recorded a pair of victories on Thursday at Adrian's Nicolay Field, defeating Kalamazoo 6-2 and rival Hope 10-3.
Calvin (22-20) advances to the MIAA Tournament Championship game on Friday at noon to face top-seed and host Adrian College. The Knights will need to defeat the Bulldogs (32-10 overall) twice to win the tournament title.
Calvin received a pair of sterling pitching performances from senior starters Peter Cupery (Holland/Holland Christian HS) and Ben Guilfoyle (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield East HS) to gain a pair of victories on Thursday.
In the win over Kalamazoo (20-22), Cupery went a season-high 7. 2 innings to pick up the win, striking out four and walking only one while allowing just five hits. Freshman Ryan Stewart (Detroit/Parkway Christian HS) came on in the eighth and recorded the final four outs for the Knights to pick up his second save of the season. Stewart was able to get the Knights out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the eighth that helped preserve a 4-2 Calvin lead.
Sophomore Austin Voigt (Brighton/Pinckney HS) sparked the win by with a two-out double down the right field line in the fifth that tied the game 1-1. The Voigt double was part of an eight-pitch at-bat.
Senior Grant VanPutten (Holland/Holland Christian HS) then brought home Voigt with a double of his own to give Calvin a 2-1 lead. VanPutten later added a two-run RBI double in the ninth to put the Knights up 6-2. Sophomore Matt Kotva (Elkhart, IN/Concord HS) also had a two-run RBI double in the sixth that put the Knights up 4-1.
VanPutten went 3-for-4 as did Voigt with VanPutten driving in three runs and Voigt scoring a pair. Sophomore Jordan VanderWall (Wyoming/South Christian HS) and and Kotva had two hits apiece as part of an 11-hit Calvin attack.
In game two, Calvin turned the tables on a Hope (23-19) team that had handed Calvin a 7-6 defeat the day before.
Calvin exploded for 12 hits in the game and never trailed. Calvin scored one in the third, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and then five in the eighth. All five of Calvin's runs in the eighth came with two outs, blowing open what had been just a two-run game.
Guilfoyle (6-4) went eight strong innings for the Knights, striking out three and walking only one whiel scattering eight Hope hits. Junior Kyle Wasserberger (Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS) came on in the ninth to toss a perfect final frame.
VanderWall had a monster game with three hits and four runs batted in. Cupery also went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. VanPutten and sophomore Colton Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS) had two hits apiece in the win.
"Our seniors really stepped up today, especially Cupery and Guilfoyle on the mound" said Calvin baseball coach John Rypel. "Austin Voigt had our best at bat of the year in game one that resulted in a game-tying double that turned the momentum and really got us going. I love our guys and this team. We can't wait to get back at it tomorrow and play for a championship."
Calvin and Adrian will be meeting in the MIAA Tournament finals for the second straight year. Adrian defeated Calvin 10-7 in the 2014 MIAA Tournament final.
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Calvin College junior McKenzie Diemer has been named the MIAA's Most Valuable Runner in women's track and field. It marks the second consecutive year that a Calvin women's trackster has received the honor as Julie Busscher was the MIAA's Most Valuable Runner in 2014.
A native of Caledonia and a graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian High School, Diemer captured the MIAA title last Friday in the 1,500 meter run with a league-record time of 4:35.48, breaking the previous MIAA record of 4:36.02 set by Calvin's Sarah Gritter in 1999. She also placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.28. A week prior to the MIAA Championships, Diemer clocked a time of 10:36.75 at the Hillsdale Gina Relays which ranks fourth nationally. Her time in the 1,500 meters (4:35.48) ranks 24th nationally.
In addition, Diemer is one of seven members of the Calvin women's track and field team to be named to the All-MIAA squad. Also named to the All-MIAA women's track and field team from Calvin are seniors Sarah Danner, Christina Geating and Mia Rienstra along with sophomores Michaela Meckes and Lauren Strohbehn and freshman Jenna Dyksen.
Geating (Abington, PA/Abington HS) is receiving All-MIAA honors for the third consecutive year. She was the MIAA champion last week in the pole vault (10-9) for the third consecutive year while also claiming a league title in the high jump (5-1 3/4).
Danner (Watkins Glen, NY/Charles Dickerson HS) is receiving All-MIAA honors for the first time. She was the MIAA champion in the 5,000 meters last weekend with a time of 17:50.45. At the Hillsdale Gina Relays on April 23, she clocked a time of 35:53.44 which ranks ninth on the current NCAA III list.
A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Rienstra is receiving All-MIAA accolades for the first time. She was the MIAA champion in the 800 meters last Friday, winning the race with a career-best time of 2:16.40.
Meckes (Bay City/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) is receiving All-MIAA honors for the first time. She is the fourth member of her family to be named an All-MIAA track and field athlete as her older brothers Nate, Josh and Aaron Meckes have all received All-MIAA track and field honors o the men's side. At the MIAA Championships last Friday, Meckes won the discus title with a throw of 122-8. Brothers Nate and Aaron Meckes were both prior discus champions for the Calvin men's track and field team.
Strohbehen (Stillwater, MN.St. Croix Prepatory HS) is an All-MIAA selection for the first time. She took second in the 5,000 meters last Friday at the MIAA Championships with a time of 17:50.74. At the Hillsdale Gina Releys on April 24, she clocked a time of 17:05.58 that ranks 12th on the current NCAA III list.
Dyksen (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne HS) also had a big weekend at the MIAA Championships, winning the 100 meter hurdles (15.23) and the triple jump (36-4).
Calvin captured the MIAA title last Friday with a first place team score of 286.5 points as the Knights captured their 26th consecutive MIAA title.
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
For the second consecutive year, Calvin College senior Erik Holstege has been named the MIAA's Most Valuable Field Event Performer in men's track and field.
A native of Keswick, Virginia (Monticello HS), Holstege was a key performer in Calvin winning its third consecutive MIAA title last weekend at Albion College. At the MIAA Championships, Holstege captured the league title in the long jump (22-2 1/2) and 110 high hurdles (14.74) while placing third in the triple jump (43-7 3/4) and seventh in the shot put (43-4 1/4). He also ran the leadoff leg on Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team that finished second in a time of 3:21.23. Holstege repeated as league champion the 110 high hurdles and is currently ranked 22nd (14.71) in the event.
Holstege has also been named to the All-MIAA men's track and field for the third consecutive year. He is joined on the All-MIAA team by Calvin teammates Jon Cok, Ben de Waal Malefyt, Jonathan Gingrich, Steven Haagsma, Zac Nowicki, Joel Ooms and Lucas Wolters.
A senior from Midland Park, New Jersey (Eastern Christian HS), de Waal Malefyt is receiving All-MIAA honors for the second consecutive year. He repeated as league champion in the discus last weekend, winning the event with a throw of 155-5. He is currently ranked 10th in the event nationally (166-8).
A senior, Haagsma is from Wyoming and is a graduate of Calvin Christian High School. He is receiving All-MIAA track and field honors for the first time. Haagsma captured the MIAA steeplechase title last weekend with a season-best time of 9:13.88. He is currently ranked ninth nationally in the event.
A senior, Gingrich is from Powell, Ohio (Olentangy Liberty HS). At the MIAA Championships last weekend, he captured the first league title of his Calvin career, doing so in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 32:17.17.
Cok (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian High School) is receiving All-MIAA honors for the second time in his Calvin career. Cok was a multi-point threat for Calvin at the MIAA Championships, taking second in the triple jump (43-10 3/4) and high jump (6-6 1/4) while also placing fourth in the long jump (21-1 1/2).
Wolters (Vincennes, IN/South Knox HS) repeated as league champion in the pole vault last week, winning the event with a vault of 15-1. He is receiving All-MIAA honors for the second straight year.
Ooms and Nowicki are receiving All-MIAA honors for the first time. Ooms is from Demotte, Indiana. He is a graduate of Illiana Christian High School. At the MIAA Championships last week, he claimed a league crown in the 400 meter hurdles (56.54) while also placing eighth in the 110 high hurdles (16.32).
Nowicki is from Comstock Park and is a graduate of Calvin Christian High School. Nowicki captured the league title in the 5,000 meter run, winning with a time of 15:07.63.
Calvin captured the MIAA title last week at Albion College with 224 points. The league crown was Calvin's 27th in the last 29 years.
Received on Thu May 7 23:17:26 2015
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