ADRIAN, Mich. – The Adrian College NCBA Division 1 baseball team hosted Hillsdale College for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Nicolay Field. The Bulldogs won the first game 7-6 but fell in the second, 4-2, to split the series.
In game one, Hillsdale took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Adrian responded with a run of its own on a single by Tyler Hall. After Hillsdale extended its lead to 5-1 through two and a half innings, the Bulldogs closed the gap to 5-3 in the bottom of the third. Jesse Leyva drove in a run with a single, followed by Hall's RBI triple. Hillsdale added a run in the fifth inning, but Adrian came back to tie the game in the sixth. Leyva hit a two-RBI single, and Hall followed with an RBI single to knot the score at 6-6.
In the bottom of the seventh, with the bases loaded, Brock Hudik drew a walk to bring in the winning run for a dramatic walk-off victory.
Hudik, Hall, and Leyva each recorded three hits in the game, leading Adrian's offensive charge. Austin Allenbaugh started on the mound for the Bulldogs, pitching three innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Jack Florig, Carter Arbuckle, and Mathyis Neuenkirchen came in as relievers, combining for four innings, one run allowed, two hits, and four strikeouts.
In game two, Adrian took a 1-0 lead after the second inning, thanks to a run-scoring single by Carson Meister. Hillsdale tied the game in the fourth, but Adrian regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double from Damon Harriss, making it 2-1. Hillsdale answered with a run in the fifth to tie the game again before taking a 4-2 lead, which held up to give them the win.
Florig led the Adrian offense in game two, going 2-for-3 at the plate. On the mound, Colton Hicks threw three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out three. Joe Postma, Anderson Walker, Michael Hale, and Tyler Hall also pitched in relief.
Adrian will be back in action next weekend when they host the University of Notre Dame on April 12-13 at Nicolay Field. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 PM.
