HOLLAND, Mich. – Calvin split a conference doubleheader with rival Hope on Thursday, dropping game one 5-4 before coming back to take game two 6-5. The Knights are now 17-6 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play.

GAME ONE
Hope 5, Calvin 4

Calvin hit two home runs and matched Hope in the hit column but three Calvin errors led to a pair of unearned runs that ultimately proved to be the difference.
Calvin took a 1-0 lead on the first at bat of the game as senior Sydney Duong (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian HS) blasted her third home run of the season as well as the eighth of her career.

Hope answered with a run in the second to tie the game at one and broke through for a pair of runs in the third, using three hits, a series of bunts and a Calvin error.

The Knights were able to escape further damage with a popup to short with two runners aboard.

In the top of the sixth, senior Hannah Biddlecome (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern HS) singled to left-center and stole second. She was brought home moments later on a two-run homer to left-center that smacked off the top of the fence and bounced over. The home run was her team-leading sixth home run of the year and tied the score 3-3. With two outs, junior Emilie Gist (Bettendorf, Ia./Bettendorf HS) belted a shot into the centerfield gap for a double and then raced home from second when the throw back to the infield was offline, giving the Knights a stunning 4-3 lead.

Hope answered right back in the bottom half however as the Flying Dutch placed its leadoff runner on second base after a Calvin error. Senior Cayley Ebeling then crashed a two-run shot deep over the left-center field wall to give the lead back to Hope 5-4.

In the top of the seventh, Calvin was retired in order as Hope sealed the win.

Both teams finished with seven hits. Biddlecome led the Calvin charge by going 3-for-3 at the plate. Senior Kirsten Krause (Fredonia, Wisc./Grafton HS) took the loss for the Knights to dip to 8-6 on the year.

GAME TWO
Calvin 6, Hope 5

Calvin roared out to a 6-0 lead and then held on in the late innings to gain the doubleheader split.

The Knights scored two in the first, using a Biddlecome RBI single and a run-scoring groundout from freshman Tory Decker (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS).
Calvin added an unearned run in the third and three more in the fourth. Junior Ally Schultz (Wyoming, Mich./Grandville HS) drove in Calvin's first run in the fourth on an RBI single. Biddlecome later tripled into the right-centerfield gap to plate Duong and sophomore Sage Mougin (New Carlisle, Ind./New Prairie HS).
Hope chipped away with a pair of runs in the fifth and then scored three unearned runs in the sixth to claw with a run.

In the seventh, Hope used a pair of hits to place runners on second and third with two outs but a hard ground ball to short was fielded by Duong who whipped a throw to first in time to close out the Calvin win.

Biddlecome again went 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored. Duong went 3-for-4 at the plate.

Freshman Emma Ludema (Martin, Mich./Wayland HS) went five innings and got the win for the Knights, upping her record to 7-3 on the year. Sophomore Zoe Hazelhoff (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian HS) tossed the final two innings to pick up the save.

COACHES COMMENT: "Another tough MIAA battle today," said Calvin head softball coach Becky Hilgert. "We just didn't play very clean on defense and in these kind of games, we have to be sharper and play with more of a sense of urgency across the board. Offensively we have to continue to work on being more disciplined in transitioning our practice reps to live game play. The challenges we face are more mental than physical right now. We'll get back at it tomorrow and continue to get better."

NEXT UP: Calvin will travel to the University of Chicago for key non-conference doubleheader on Saturday with game one set to start at 1 p.m. (CST).