CKSR (Calvin Knight Sports Report for April 24, 2017)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR APRIL 24, 2017

BASEBALL
Calvin 1, Alma 0
Calvin 3, Alma 2

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin baseball team claimed a crucial MIAA doubleheader sweep of Alma Monday afternoon, defeating the visiting Scots 1-0 and 3-2.

The doubleheader sweep moves Calvin into a tie for fourth place with Trine in the MIAA league standings and also allowed the Knights to win three of their four games against the Scots.
Calvin (15-16 overall, 10-10 MIAA) received standout pitching and strong defense to claim the pair of victories.

In game one, sophomore Jonathan Keane (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield East HS) tossed a three-hit
shutout over seven innings, striking out nine and walking none.

Calvin scored the only run of the game in the third inning as senior Mike Kempton (Edwardsburg, Mich./Edwardsburg HS) dropped a triple down the right field line and scored on an infield shot by junior Nate DeZwaan (Hamilton, Mich./Holland Christian HS) that was mishandled by the Alma shortstop.

Alma's best chance to score came in the sixth as the Scots placed a runner on second with two outs. Alma third baseman Adam Thoryk just missed a two-run homer moments later, blasting a shot just foul down the left field line. Thoryk then grounded out to shortstop, ending the threat.

In the seventh, Keane retired the Alma side in order including the final out on a strikeout to seal the second complete game shutout victory of his collegiate career.

In game two, Alma (11-21 overall, 9-11 MIAA) took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first. Alma continued to threaten in the second and third but Calvin freshman catcher Logan Marshall (Plymouth, Mich./Salem HS) twice cut down Scot base runners attempting to steal.

In the top of the fifth, Alma had runners on second and third with two outs but Kempton was able to extinguish the threat with a diving two-out catch in right field.

Calvin tied the game in the fifth as junior Ryan Stewart (Detroit, Mich./Parkway Christian HS) led off with a single to left field, moved to second on a passed ball and then came in to score on a bloop single to right by sophomore Beau Redfield (Cedar Springs, Mich./Northpointe Christian HS).

Alma regained a 2-1 lead with a run in the top of the sixth but the Knights answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning as Keane delivered a sacrifice fly and junior Johnny Salgado (Whittier, Ca./Whittier HS) smacked an RBI single.

Sophomore Clay Francisco (Delton, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg HS) tossed the final 3.2 innings and was stellar down the stretch. Francisco kept Alma off the scoreboard over the final three innings and struck out six batters including three of the final four batters he faced.

Francisco picked up the win in relief to bump his season record to 3-2. Stewart and Redfield had two hits apiece for the Knights. Sophomore Jimmy Dirksen (Portage, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian HS) went the first 4.2 innings for Calvin while freshman Mike Kool (Sturgis, Ind./Centerville HS) also tossed two-thirds of an inning for the Knights.

"It all started with game one with Jonathan Keane," said Calvin baseball coach John Rypel. "He pitched like the ace we knew he would be this year. He had his slider working and he was able to locate his fastball. We also got a nice start out of Jimmy Dirksen in game two and our bullpen came in and did a great job."

Rypel also praised the attitude of his team for keeping the Knights on a steady keel. "The one thing this team has is they like being around each other and they like the game of baseball," he said. "They don't put a lot of extra pressure on themselves, they just go out and play and that was evident again this afternoon."

Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Manchester University (Ind.) for a non-conference game slated to start at 4 p.m.

MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-24-17

Adrian 17-3
Kalamazoo 14-6
Hope 12-8
Calvin 10-10
Trine 10-10
Alma 9-11
Albion 6-14
Olivet 2-18

SOFTBALL
Calvin 1, Cornerstone 0
Calvin 4, Cornerstone 3

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin softball team swept the Battle of the Beltline on Monday afternoon at Cornerstone. The Knights took game one 1-0 and rallied to defeat Cornerstone in game two 4-3. The pair of Calvin victories moves Calvin to 18-18 on the year. Calvin has now won five of its last six games.

"Anna and Paige pitched great today," said head coach Becky Hilgert. "Our defense was pretty solid throughout 14 innings. It was nice to get on the board early in both games. Scoring early is something we haven't done consistently enough and when we do, it just gives us a huge boost defensively."

Calvin struck early in game one. Sophomore Anna Gernant (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) scored junior Jessica Brasser (Rockford, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) in the first inning.

The lone Cornerstone hit came in the first inning when Ali Ontiveros singled to right field.
That is all the offense Gernant would need.

Anna Gernant had a solid outing on Monday, holding Cornerstone scoreless on one hit. Gernant tallied 12 strikeouts in game one for her 13th victory of the year. She is now eight strikeouts shy of the Calvin single-season record of 227 strikeouts. Monday was the third-straight game and fourth all season that Gernant hasn't allowed a run.

Gernant was backed by solid defense that kept the Golden Eagles off the base paths, including a diving catch by freshman Bri Noorman (Jenison, Mich./Covenant Christian) in the seventh inning.

The Knights struck in the first inning again, in game two. Anna Gernant singled through the left side of the infield to score sophomore Maddie DeGroot (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian). Freshman Kayla Groen then singled to right field to score Jessica Brasser.

Cornerstone took the lead back in the second inning with three runs.

Sophomore Casey Lawler (Novi, Mich./Novi) tied the game in the third inning with a shot to third base that scored junior (Kaley Frank).

The Calvin defense kept the Knights in the game, getting out of a bases loaded jam twice in game two.

The Calvin defense left eight Golden Eagles stranded in game two.

The tie was broken in the top of the seventh inning with two outs. Anna Gernant reached on a throwing error and Jessica Brasser scored from second base.

Senior Paige Groom (Potterville, Mich./Potterville) only allowed four hits after the second inning and recorded two strikeouts in her fifth victory of the season.

Calvin returns to action on Wednesday for the final road series of the year at Albion.

MORE SOFTBALL

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – For the second time in her career and first time this season, sophomore Maddie DeGroot was named the Position Player of the Week by the MIAA.

"Maddie was a catalyst offensively this past week," said Calvin head coach Becky Hilgert. "The leadoff home run against Hope really set the tone for our offense and fired up our team. She is a fierce competitor who works hard and I feel that as the season progresses she is getting even stronger at the plate."

A native of Hudsonville, Michigan, DeGroot helped the Knights go 3-1 last week in the MIAA with wins over Hope and Kalamazoo.

DeGroot had three multi-hit games on the week, including a 3-for-3 effort with two doubles against Kalamazoo on April 22 to finish week with .455 batting average and .727 slugging percentage.
She had a solo home run against Hope to give the Knights a 1-0 victory.

DeGroot and the Knights finish the year this week with Cornerstone, Albion and Olivet.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association named Emily Cefaratti the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week in women's lacrosse for games through April 23. This is the fifth time in her career and third time this season that Cefaratti has earned MIAA weekly honors. This is the first time she has been the Defensive Player of the Week.

"This is a great accomplishment for Emily," said Calvin head coach Blake Boehm. "It shows that Emily is more than an offensive threat. The fact that she is being recognized for her defensive prowess while statistically out-producing everyone is remarkable. She's the most complete player in the conference and it's exciting to watch her continue to get better."

A senior from Hinsdale, Illinois, Cefaratti scored eight goals last week in two MIAA games. She also caused nine turnovers and had nine ground balls.

Cefaratti helped the Knights remain undefeated in the MIAA with victories over Kalamazoo and Hope.

On Tuesday, Cefaratti tallied six goals and four assists against Kalamazoo in an 18-1 victory. She also recorded three ground balls, two draw controls, and caused three turnovers.

Against Hope, Cefaratti helped the Knights down the Flying Dutch in a battle for first place in the MIAA. Cefaratti caused a season-high six turnovers. She also scored two goals and had one assist. Cefaratti had six ground balls and two draw controls.

Cefaratti and the Knights return to action on Tuesday at Adrian.

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Reitsma Mpindi was named the MIAA Field Athlete of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday. A senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mpindi recorded a victory at the Al Owens Invitational at Grand Valley State.

"I am extremely happy for Reitsma," said head coach Bret Otte. "He had a great performance this
weekend and I am happy he is being rewarded for his performance."

This weekend at Grand Valley, he recorded a personal-best jump of 6.96 meters to take first place in
the long jump. That leap propelled him into the top-50 in the NCAA and second-best in the MIAA in 2017.

Mpindi and the Knights return to action this weekend at the Calvin Invitational.

MEN'S TENNIS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Matt VanWinkle picked up Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Player of the Week honors on Monday for matches through April 23. This is the first time in his career that VanWinkle has claimed the honor.

"I am very happy for Matt," said Calvin head coach John Ross. "He is very deserving of this honor. I thought that he played really well on last week. He has worked really hard and it is nice to his hard work get rewarded."

VanWinkle, a junior from St. Joseph, Michigan, posted a perfect 2-0 record in singles play and in doubles play, last week. At No. 2 singles, he defeated Josh McGarry of Albion, 6-1, 6-2. He then topped Brandon Brom of Adrian, 6-4, 6-3, to help secure the No. 3 seed for Calvin in the MIAA Tournament.

In doubles competition, VanWinkle and senior Taylor Asfour won at No. 1 doubles against Albion, 8-1. The duo would then top the Bulldogs, 8-6.

VanWinkle and the Knights are back in action next week in the MIAA Tournament at Hope.
Received on Mon Apr 24 23:54:44 2017