March 29, 2010

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ADRIAN, Mich. - The baseball team nearly completed a four-game sweep of Calvin to open up MIAA action with a 4-0 win in game one on Monday, but Keith Spoelstra threw a gem in game two as Calvin took the nightcap 3-1. David Partyka threw a complete game shutout scattering seven hits in game one for the Bulldogs. Partyka (2-0) allowed two walks and also struck out two for his first complete game in his career.

Adrian struck for two runs in the first inning of game one with two outs. Alex Cowart was hit by a pitch on a full count and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nate Sarkissian drew a walk and then Jake Cappelletty had an infield single on which the second baseman threw wild of first trying to make a great play. The ball got past the first baseman and allowed Cowart to score from second and advance Sarkissian to third. Brian Bilius followed with a RBI single through the right side for a 2-0 lead.

Adrian added a run in the third as Cody Meyer led off with a bunt single. Meyer stole second and then Sarkissian singled up the middle to make it 3-0. Adrian added a run in the fifth as Andrew Anderson led off with a single and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt by the pitcher. Anderson was then caught in a rundown between second and third and the ball was thrown off his helmet and bounced into right field allowing him to score Adrian's final run.

Jeff Groenewold took the loss for Calvin (0-2) allowing just two earned runs in six innings. Partyka threw 102 pitches and lowered his season ERA to 3.24. Cappelletty had a pair of hits in game one and was the only Bulldog to do so.

The second game belonged to Spoelstra who entered the game with a 1-1 record and a 10.12 ERA but seemed to make all the right pitches to silence the Adrian bats. He threw 103 pitches of which 65 caught the strike zone and allowed just six hits in seven innings. Adrian threatened to score in the second as they loaded the bases down 2-0 after Calvin had single runs in the first and second innings. Bilius had a single to right and Joe Dubina followed with a ground-rule double to left. Chad Williams was hit by a pitch with two outs and Andrew Delcua hit a 1-2 pitch to left for a flyout to end the threat.

Adrian got their run in the third as Cowart hit a one-out single to right and stole second. Cappelletty had a two-out chopper behind second base and the second baseman gloved it and made a play on Cowart rounding third and coming home. The throw was in plenty of time but Cowart jarred the ball loose on the tag and scored while Cappelletty moved to second.

Calvin got a big insurance run in the top of the seventh against Andrew Geese. Geese made his only mistake of the game by walking in the third run with two outs. Geese relieved Nick Sarkissian who saw action for the first time since the 2008 nationals in Wisconsin. Geese allowed just one hit in four innings and struck out five. Sarkissian went the first three innings and threw 75 pitches. He allowed seven hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts.

Adrian went to the bottom of the seventh and got a two-out double by Deluca sending Anderson to the plate with the potential tying run. Anderson rolled over on a 1-1 pitch and grounded out to second to end the game. Adrian is now 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.