GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team won both games of its doubleheader against Trine University on Saturday to finish off a three-game sweep of the weekend series.
 
Calvin (16-11, 9-2) won game one 7-5 and then erased a three-run Trine (9-18, 3-7 MIAA) lead in the ninth inning to win game two 6-5 in 11 innings.
 
Game 1
 
Calvin built an early 7-2 lead and then held off the Thunder in the final innings to win game one 7-5.
 
The Thunder scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning, but the Knights answered with back-to-back RBI doubles from Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) and Ryan Tschirhart (Clinton, Mich./Clinton) to take a 2-1 lead after three.
 
Brown and Tschirhart came through again in the following inning, with Brown adding a two-run double and Tschirhart following with an RBI-single to push the lead to 5-2.
 
After Calvin added runs on an error and a wild pitch, the Knights had to hold off the Trine offense in the final innings as they dug into the 7-2 lead. The Thunder scored once in the sixth off reliever Ben Ferguson (Grandville, Mich./Grandville) and then added one more in both the seventh and eighth innings off Drew Diehl (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic Central) to make the score 7-5.
 
Diehl would prove up to the task of closing out the game, however, as he induced a ground ball double play to end the eighth inning and then stranded two runners on base in the ninth to earn his first career save.
 
Calvin out-hit the Thunder 10-5 in the game with Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) leading the offense with four hits. Brown and Tschirhart each had two hits and combined for five RBI.
 
Ferguson (2-1) got the win in relief while Diehl earned the save with 3.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits.
 
Game 2
 
The Knights overcame a 5-2 deficit in the ninth inning to walk off the Thunder in the 11th inning to finish off the doubleheader and series sweep with a 6-5 win.
 
The teams traded runs in the first inning, but the Thunder took control of the game with a three-run second inning off Calvin starting pitcher Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta).
 
After an RBI-double in the first inning, Ryan Schummer (West Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic) added an RBI-single in the third to score Brown and cut the Thunder lead to 4-2, but Trine would hold Calvin scoreless through the middle innings and took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Trailing by three runs, the first four Calvin hitters reached base to start the ninth inning. Tschirhart led off with a single, followed by a Cam Seth (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/GRCC) walk and a Josh Winkle (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) hit by pitch. Hunter Scholma (Allendale, Mich./Allendale) came through with a pinch-hit single to cut the deficit to 5-3, and Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont) followed with a fielder's choice groundout that was nearly a game-ending double play, allowing Seth to score from third base.
 
The Thunder still led 5-4 with two outs and runners at the corners, but a Bonemer ground ball to the Trine third baseman resulted in a low throw that got through the Thunder first baseman, allowing Winkle to score from third. Pinch-runner Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) hustled from first base and looked to score the winning run on the error, but the Thunder recovered to throw out the potential winning run at home plate to send the game into extra innings.
 
After a scoreless 10th frame, Isaac Hubka (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) reached base on an error with one out and Nathaniel Graham (Lake Odessa, Mich./Lakewood/Kalamazoo Valley CC) smashed a line drive double right on the third base line that allowed Hubka to score all the way from first base to give the Knights the walk off win.
 
Along with clutch hitting late in the game, but the Knights' bullpen came through in a big way. Ethan DeBlecourt (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/Spring Arbor) held the Thunder to one run in 2.1 innings in relief of Steinbacher and Alex DeAngelis (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) closed the game with 3.2 shutout innings to earn the win. DeAngelis (2-0) entered the game with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth inning before recording the final two outs of that frame and then went on to pitch three more scoreless innings.
 
Brown finished game two with four hits and two runs. Schummer added two hits and two RBI.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action on Wednesday, April 16, when it plays Aquinas College. The game will be played at Meijer Sports Complex and is scheduled to start at 4:00 PM.