May 4, 2009

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - 2009 MIAA Champions...it has a nice ring to it for the Adrian College baseball team who claimed at least a share of the MIAA crown for the third time in the last five years with a split at Calvin on Monday. The Bulldogs (27-9, 21-3 MIAA) split a pair of games against the Knights with the first game starting in the third inning after rain washed out the original doubleheader scheduled for April 25.

Adrian fell 7-3 in game one and could not score a run after the continuation of the game in the third. Keith Spoelstra was replaced by Calvin ace Ben Sietsema in the fourth inning and he gave up just two hits in four innings with one walk and two strikeouts.

Josh Lancaster completed the game he started and went six innings allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs. Lancaster (4-2) allowed one run in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Tyler Berger went 4-for-4 against the junior righty from Saline with two runs and four RBI for the Knights.

Adrian appeared to be headed for another day to attempt to win the conference trailing 5-1 in game two going into the sixth inning. The Bulldogs fought back with three runs in the inning and three more in the seventh to win 7-5. Kris Powell reached on a walk to start the sixth and advanced to second on a balk. Alex Cowart drove home Powell with an RBI single through the left side. Calvin starter Zach Thomas was lifted after the hit for Jeff Groenewold who nearly got out of a jam with runners on second and third and two outs. Brian Bilius came through with a clutch two-RBI single through the left side to make the score 5-4.

Nick Vandike (3-2) came into the game as the third hurler for the Bulldogs and got into a pickle right away by giving up a single to eighth-hitter Jake Van Alten and a double to ninth-hitter Jason May. Rob Kool then was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. VanDike showed that seniors lead by example as he promptly struck out the next three hitters to keep Adrian within one run.

The momentum carried over into the seventh as Todd Meyers had a one-out single to get things rolling for the Bulldogs. Powell's infield single put runners at first and second with one out. Cowart collected his 40th RBI of the season with a double down the right field line which scored Meyers and put Powell on third to tie the game at 5-5.

Nate Sarkissian delivered his 32nd and 33rd RBI of the year with the go-ahead hit through the right side with one out which scored Powell and Cowart to give AC a 7-5 lead. Nate Pocock collected his fourth hit of game two to start the seventh against VanDike but he got Chris Blacklidge to ground into a double play as Steve Vanderheyden touched the bag at second and fired to first for the twin killing. Matt Dodrill grounded out to Bilius at third for the final out and the Bulldog dugout erupted and stormed the mound around VanDike.

VanDike allowed three hits in two innings and did not allow a walk with three strikeouts. Groenewold (0-3) went two innings and allowed three earned runs with four strikeouts. Joe Dubina went 1-for-3 with a double and RBI. Cowart, Sarkissian and Powell each had two hits.

Adrian will finish the regular season with a four-game series against Olivet beginning on Friday with a doubleheader at home starting at 2:00 p.m. Olivet will then host Adrian for two on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Bulldogs have captured the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by winning the league title and will take place in their own regional hosted at Nicolay Field beginning May 13.