Baseball starts 4-2 in first Florida trip
By Tony Gonzalez and Jack Hittinger
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Sports
Despite a flight delay and a fellow passenger's air sickness, Hillsdale College baseball players were happy to fly to Florida - and get outdoors - for their opening weekend. The team returned Sunday with a 4-2 record.
Players credited solid pitching, impressive play by freshmen and offensive power from junior Brandon Hubbard as keys to their wins.
"I'm really pleased with the pitching staff as a whole," said pitcher Noah Turner, a senior who threw Sunday against Saint Joseph's College.
Charger pitchers have a combined 3.40 ERA.
Assistant coach Andy Lovell '05 said the hitters also did a great job with careful two-strike hitting.
"They put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense," he said.
After two wins on both Friday and Saturday, Charger bats fell silent Sunday with two losses to St. Joseph's, 9-0 and 4-0. Lovell said the team may have been fatigued from weekend play.
"They made plays today and balls got hit right to them," Molter said of the Pumas. "They just got every break."
Despite getting the loss in game one, Turner threw a complete game with four strikeouts and no earned runs.
Molter and Turner said St. Joseph's was the best team they faced and, despite the losses, they'll take the four wins.
"We can play with anybody," Molter said. "If we can eliminate our mistakes we can compete."
The Chargers took both of Saturday's games, beating the Lewis University Flyers and Gannon University Golden Knights.
The team beat Lewis 8-2, capitalizing on the Flyers' mistakes, Lovell said. Senior Brian Davis got the win, allowing six hits in eight innings. Hubbard went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs.
Hillsdale beat Gannon 8-6 in the second game, thanks in part to 2 1/3 innings pitched by freshman Dan Rhodes in relief of Molter. Rhodes said he hit his spots and kept the ball low, allowing contact and trusting in his defense. Sophomore transfer Pat Krebs worked three innings in relief for the save.
Players credited solid pitching, impressive play by freshmen and offensive power from junior Brandon Hubbard as keys to their wins.
"I'm really pleased with the pitching staff as a whole," said pitcher Noah Turner, a senior who threw Sunday against Saint Joseph's College.
Charger pitchers have a combined 3.40 ERA.
Assistant coach Andy Lovell '05 said the hitters also did a great job with careful two-strike hitting.
"They put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense," he said.
After two wins on both Friday and Saturday, Charger bats fell silent Sunday with two losses to St. Joseph's, 9-0 and 4-0. Lovell said the team may have been fatigued from weekend play.
"They made plays today and balls got hit right to them," Molter said of the Pumas. "They just got every break."
Despite getting the loss in game one, Turner threw a complete game with four strikeouts and no earned runs.
Molter and Turner said St. Joseph's was the best team they faced and, despite the losses, they'll take the four wins.
"We can play with anybody," Molter said. "If we can eliminate our mistakes we can compete."
The Chargers took both of Saturday's games, beating the Lewis University Flyers and Gannon University Golden Knights.
The team beat Lewis 8-2, capitalizing on the Flyers' mistakes, Lovell said. Senior Brian Davis got the win, allowing six hits in eight innings. Hubbard went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs.
Hillsdale beat Gannon 8-6 in the second game, thanks in part to 2 1/3 innings pitched by freshman Dan Rhodes in relief of Molter. Rhodes said he hit his spots and kept the ball low, allowing contact and trusting in his defense. Sophomore transfer Pat Krebs worked three innings in relief for the save.
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