The Collegian

Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrew Dodson Freshman Pat O'Hearn rounds up for a throw from the outfield in practice, biting his tounge Michael Jordan style.

Charger baseball returned from Florida with a solid 3-2 record, going 2-1 against regional teams.

They split a double-header against Nebraska-Omaha University Friday, losing the first game 14-5 and winning the second in extra innings, 8-7.

Junior Andrew Little made his first collegiate appearance when brought out of the bullpen to protect a two run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Little struggled with his control, walking three batters and hitting another. After one run scored, he managed to close out the game with a pop fly to second base. Head coach Paul Noce said Little did not give up a hit, despite walking in a run.

"His control will get better," said Noce. "He just needs innings."

The win over Nebraska-Omaha was significant for the Chargers because they are ranked in the top 30 in their region.

Control was an issue for Hillsdale's pitchers most of the weekend. In five games, they combined to walk 35 batters. According to Noce, 37 percent of those base-runners scored. However, the pitching was not all bad for the Chargers. In the second set of games, Hillsdale again lost the first game against Lewis University, 12-2. Sophomore Dan Rhodes was on the mound for the second game. He started off by walking the first batter of the game, then got into a rhythm and struck out eight on his way to a complete-game one-hitter. The one hit was a single in the third inning.

"As the game kept going, I was able to hit my spots with all my pitches," said Rhodes. "I had command of all three of my pitches [fastball, curveball, and changeup] for most of the game. It was probably the best performance I've ever had."

The Chargers captured the game 4-0.

The weekend trip wrapped up with an 8-4 victory against Kentucky Wesleyan University. Senior captain Jesse Smith said the weekend went about as expected. He mentioned the team exhibited quality hitting adjustments throughout the weekend.

"A lot of guys were trying to pull everything and swinging for the fences," Smith said. "Once they started to calm down and play within themselves, they began driving the ball to right field."

For the trip, the team hit .278. Smith said this is slightly below where they would like to be. Smith led the team with six hits in Florida.

This weekend, the team travels to Oakland City, Ind., to play two games. The morning matchup is against Oakland City. In the afternoon, the team will play the University of Indianapolis. They travel to Georgia for six days during spring break to close out their non-conference schedule, then begin GLIAC play Saturday March 21st against Grand Valley State University.

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