HOLLAND, Mich. - It was a good Saturday (Apr. 23) for the Adrian College baseball team as they ran their overall record to 24-6 with a pair of wins at Hope College. The Bulldogs improved to 17-1 in the MIAA and further distanced themselves from the second place Flying Dutchmen on their own turf.
Senior Ryan Domschot took care of the pitching in game one of a battle against two of the best pitchers in the MIAA going against Hope's Adam Clements. Domschot got the best of the individual duel by going seven innings and allowing six hits in his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career. He improved his career record to 23-9 and struck out 10 to push his career total to 259. Clements also went the distance and allowed nine hits and six runs with five strikeouts.
Adrian gave Domschot all the run support he would need in the top of the first inning. Chris Kerekes led off the game with a double to left center and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Brian Bilius just past the out-stretch glove of shortstop Chris Mattson. Domschot retired the first six batters of the game and struck out the side in the second.
AC added to their lead in the fourth with another run as Nate Sarkissian singled with one out and fellow senior Jake Cappelletty moved him to second with a single of his own. Nate Clark then singled to center for an RBI as Sarkissian scored from second. The Bulldogs broke things open in the top half of the fifth with four runs on four hits. Sarkissian delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single to center and Cappelletty followed with a RBI single to right. Clark reached on an error allowing Sarkissian to score the sixth run of game one.
Domschot stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and two more runners in the sixth and then pitched a clean seventh inning for his fourth win of the season. Kerekes went 2-for-4 with his double being the only extra-base hit and scored twice. Sarkissian also went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI's. Cappelletty went 2-for-3 with a RBI.
Adrian scored in each of the first four innings in game two for a 12-4 victory. It was Adrian's 13th win in the last 14 games against Hope. Both teams recorded two runs in the first inning and then the Bulldogs scored 10 straight runs until Hope added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The offense was led by Sarkissian who finished the day going 6-for-8 with a 4-for-4 effort in the nightcap including four runs scored tying a career-high set in 2008 during his freshman year against Olivet. He also had a pair of RBI's which came on a two-run homer in the first for his second long ball of the season and 10th of his career. Bilius and Clark also homered in game two. Bilius' third of the season was a one-out solo drive to center in the third and Clark's first career jack was a no-doubter over the fence in right for a two-run shot.
Adrian's big inning was a five-run third which chased starter Danny Detmar after just 2.2 innings of work. He was saddled with seven earned runs and nine hits falling to 3-3 this season. Jordan Carrigan threw three innings of relief and yielded four more earned runs and seven hits.
David Partyka improved to 6-1 this season and 14-2 in his career with five innings of work after a shaky first inning. He scattered eight hits and allowed one earned run with a walk and two strikeouts. Jason Fryman went the last two innings and allowed three hits and two runs with a pair of punchouts.
AC pounded out 17 hits in game two as Bilius went 3-for-4 and Cappelletty added two more hits to his season total of 37. Clark had a career-high three RBI's and Andrew DeLuca tied a career-high with three RBI's in the ninth spot of the order with two runs scored.
