Baseball fighting for playoff berth

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Hillsdale College baseball split a pair of home games with Saginaw Valley State University on Wednesday afternoon.

The Chargers (14-28, 12-14) took the first, 4-2, thanks to some stingy pitching by sophomore Chris McDonald paired with a three-RBI game from freshman Jake Lee. The Cardinals (13-22, 10-15) hit 14 in game two, overpowering Hillsdale, 8-2.

With only eight regular-season games left – seven of which are conference games, Hillsdale is fighting on the outskirts of a playoff berth. Currently, Hillsdale is one of five teams within three games of each other grappling for the 4th, 5th and 6th spots in the playoff seeding.

“With seven games left, for us to be one game out of 6th, two games out of 5th, and three games out of 4th, we feel pretty good,” coach Eric Theisen said. “If we play as well as we can play then we feel really good about getting into the tournament.”

Saginaw Valley scored first in the early game off a wild pitch in the first inning. Hillsdale didn’t manage a hit in the second half of the inning, but then scored one run in each of the subsequent three innings.

Lee hit a sacrifice fly in the second, and the Cardinals’ third baseman made an error in the third, allowing sophomore Connor Bartlett to reach home.

After another Saginaw run in the fourth, Lee hit an RBI double into left center field. He followed that with a solo home run in the sixth.

Saginaw got a man on in the top of the seventh, but then junior Vinny Delicata turned a double play, ending the inning and the game.

McDonald pitched a complete game, giving up two runs off five hits. He acknowledged he had a good game, saying he “had all his stuff working,” and gave credit to the Chargers’ defense for playing well.

“When I got a lot of guys behind me whom I can trust, it makes things a lot easier,” McDonald said.

Saginaw’s bats heated up in the late game. They scored in every inning but the third, while the Chargers managed only one hit in the game.

Over the weekend, Hillsdale won one of a three game series with the University of Findlay. The Chargers then lost a game to Eastern Michigan University on Tuesday, 14-6.

The Chargers will play a three game home series against Tiffin University on Saturday at 1 p.m. Tiffin (12-27, 11-11) currently holds a one game lead in the GLIAC over Hillsdale.