GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team opened its three-game series against Kalamazoo College with a 3-0 defeat on Friday.
 
The game was a pitchers' duel between Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) of Calvin (12-10, 3-1) and Jacob Davis of Kalamazoo (15-4, 4-0), with neither allowing a run through the first four innings.
 
Both teams had chances early with runners on base, but Davis squeezed his way out of trouble with a pair of double play, while Coil got one ground ball double play in the second inning.
 
The Hornets finally put a run on the board thanks to three singles in the fifth inning, and then added to their lead with one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings to take a 3-0 lead.
 
That would be more than enough for Davis, who held the Knights without a hit following the third inning while working around two Kalamazoo errors as he went all nine innings to earn the win.
 
Coil (3-2) was strong for the Knights against a Hornets' team that came into the weekend leading the nation in runs per game, allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out three in six innings.
 
Ben Ferguson (Grandville, Mich./Grandville) allowed one unearned run with two strikeouts in one inning of relief, while Jordan Eck (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Calvin.
 
Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont), Caden Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North) and Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) each finished with one hit for the Knights.
  
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball returns to action tomorrow (Saturday, April 6) when it hosts Kalamazoo for a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 PM.