May 7, 2008

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ADRIAN, Mich. - Senior Day is a special moment when your name is announced for the final time. The final moment for six seniors was sour however as visiting Alma pulled off a 5-4 upset in game two. Adrian won the first game 10-6 and will await the Calvin-Kalamazoo four-game series to see if they can grab a MIAA title. Adrian is three wins up in the standings and need one Kalamazoo win to share for the title. If they at least claim a share, it will mean a trip to the NCAA regionals for the third time in four seasons.

Adrian felt very confident after a four-run win in the first game. Mother Nature proved to be a factor as the game was delayed after 25 minutes in the bottom of the second with Adrian leading 2-0. The umpires and head coaches waited one hour and eight minutes before suspended game one until 5:58 p.m. The weather passed through and the game ended after two hours and two minutes of actual playing time.

Senior Brett Miskokomon went 3-for-3 before exiting the game in the bottom of the sixth. He hit a two-run homer, his first of the season, in the driving rain just before play was stopped in the second. He later doubled down the left field line in the third and laced a single between third and shortstop in the fifth. Miskokomon ended the game with two runs scored and two RBI. Freshman Nate Sarkissian hit a three-run homer to left field in the six-run second after nearly three hours had elapsed due to the elements. He hit his first long ball of the year and ended the game going 2-for-3 with a walk. Junior Alex Cowart was 2-for-4 with his 11th double and had one run scored and one RBI. Sophomore Andrew Anderson had one hit in one official at-bat, which was his seventh double of the year. He also walked and had a sacrifice bunt to go with two RBI.

Bobby Rickstad (5-2) went six innings and left the game up 10-4 going into the seventh. Rickstad allowed six hits and three earned runs while walking one and striking out three. He retired the first 11 batters of the game and did not allow a hit until the first hitter in the fifth. Alma scored twice in the fifth which snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak for the senior from Kalamazoo.

The tough 5-4 loss in game two was a bit harder to swallow because Adrian led 3-0 after three innings. Cowart had a monster game two going 3-for-3 with three doubles (12,13,14) and one run scored. His seventh inning two-bagger set up runners in scoring position with one out. Sophomore Steve Vanderheyden was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI in the nightcap. He had a run-scoring single in the two-run third inning for the Bulldogs.

Alma had a big three-run fourth inning scoring all their runs with two outs off starter Alex Webster. Webster's failed pickoff move advanced Jeremy Stephens to third with two outs. Adam Rezmer hit an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall to cut the lead to 3-2 and Joe Yourchock made it back-to-back homers on a 2-2 pitch to right field which switched momentum to the Scots. Adrian went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth and Alma scored twice in the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead and chase Webster. Webster retired the first 10 batters before running into trouble in the fourth. Dan Gonzalez-Morales had a two-out single to right scoring Bobby Jock with the go-ahead run and Adam Carrick singled to right which brought in Tim Parent for the Bulldogs. Webster suffered his first loss of the year (7-1) going 4.2 innings allowing five hits and five earned runs. Parent walked Stephens on five pitches to load the bases and went 1-0 in the count on Rezmer before Adam Stone entered the game in a pressure situation. He walked Rezmer on four pitches to give Alma a two-run lead. Stone then retired the next seven batters to end the game and keep Adrian within two.

Miskokomon reached on a two-base error to left with one out in the sixth but pinch runner Ross Tonyan was stranded after Alexander Younce lined out to center and Anderson grounded out to first who flipped to the pitcher on a solid defensive play. Sarkissian singled to center with one out in the seventh to get some interest into the fans. Cowart followed with a ground-rule double to right putting runners on second and third. Rickstad hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Sarkissian to cut the lead to 5-4. Freshman Jake Cappelletty came into the game to pinch hit with two outs and the tying run on second. Cappelletty hit a 2-2 pitch off the glove of pitcher Wade Slavik who recovered the throw out Cappelletty for the final out.

Slavik pitched his best when it mattered shutting down the Bulldogs for three straight innings before giving up a run in the seventh. He finished with 126 pitches and struck out four in a gutty outing. Adrian ends the regular season with a 30-10 record and a 22-6 MIAA record.