ADRIAN - The Calvin baseball team remains alive in the double-elimination MIAA Tournament. Fighting their way through the loser's bracket, the Knights recorded a pair of victories on Thursday at Adrian's Nicolay Field, defeating Kalamazoo 6-2 and rival Hope 10-3.

Calvin (22-20) advances to the MIAA Tournament Championship game on Friday at noon to face top-seed and host Adrian College. The Knights will need to defeat the Bulldogs (32-10 overall) twice to win the tournament title.

Calvin received a pair of sterling pitching performances from senior starters Peter Cupery (Holland/Holland Christian HS) and Ben Guilfoyle (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield East HS) to gain a pair of victories on Thursday.

In the win over Kalamazoo (20-22), Cupery went a season-high 7. 2 innings to pick up the win, striking out four and walking only one while allowing just five hits. Freshman Ryan Stewart (Detroit/Parkway Christian HS) came on in the eighth and recorded the final four outs for the Knights to pick up his second save of the season.  Stewart was able to get the Knights out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the eighth that helped preserve a 4-2 Calvin lead.

Sophomore Austin Voigt (Brighton/Pinckney HS) sparked the win by with a two-out double down the right field line in the fifth that tied the game 1-1. The Voigt double was part of an eight-pitch at-bat.

Senior Grant VanPutten (Holland/Holland Christian HS) then brought home Voigt with a double of his own to give Calvin a 2-1 lead. VanPutten later added a two-run RBI double in the ninth to put the Knights up 6-2. Sophomore Matt Kotva (Elkhart, IN/Concord HS) also had a two-run RBI double in the sixth that put the Knights up 4-1.

VanPutten went 3-for-4 as did Voigt with VanPutten driving in three runs and Voigt scoring  a pair. Sophomore Jordan VanderWall (Wyoming/South Christian HS) and and Kotva had two hits apiece as part of an 11-hit Calvin attack.

In game two, Calvin turned the tables on a Hope (23-19) team that had handed Calvin a 7-6 defeat the day before.

Calvin exploded for 12 hits in the game and never trailed. Calvin scored one in the third, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and then five in the eighth. All five of Calvin's runs in the eighth came with two outs, blowing open what had been just a two-run game.

Guilfoyle (6-4) went eight strong innings for the Knights, striking out three and walking only one whiel scattering eight Hope hits. Junior Kyle Wasserberger (Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS) came on in the ninth to toss a perfect final frame.

VanderWall had a monster game with three hits and four runs batted in. Cupery also went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. VanPutten and sophomore Colton Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS) had two hits apiece in the win.

"Our seniors really stepped up today, especially Cupery and Guilfoyle on the mound" said Calvin baseball coach John Rypel. "Austin Voigt had our best at bat of the year in game one that resulted in a game-tying double that turned the momentum and really got us going. I love our guys and this team. We can't wait to get back at it tomorrow and play for a championship."

Calvin and Adrian will be meeting in the MIAA Tournament finals for the second straight year. Adrian defeated Calvin 10-7 in the 2014 MIAA Tournament final.