GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team finished off a three-game season sweep of Alma College with a 9-2 win on Wednesday.
Calvin (19-13, 11-4) received a strong start from
James Ross (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), who struck out a career-high nine batters and allowed only one hit in 5.2 innings to hold off an Alma (16-16, 8-5) team that had won four straight heading into the day.
The Knights jumped on the board for two runs in the second inning thanks to three straight singles and a well-executed squeeze bunt by
Noah Swope (Portage, Mich./Portage Central), and then added two more in the third inning after a one-out RBI-triple by
Ryan Tschirhart (Clinton, Mich./Clinton), who was driven in by
Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) to push the lead to 4-0.
Calvin struck again in the fifth inning when Tschirhart singled with two outs and then hustled his way to a run with a stolen base and later scored on a wild pitch to move the lead to 5-0.
After Ross (1-2) worked his way out of a jam in the fifth inning unscathed,
Kyle Koning (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) entered in the sixth inning and stranded runners at second and third to end the inning.
The Knights nearly ended the game with four runs in the seventh after the first six hitters reached base. Mason drove in the first run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Another walk to
Matt Reynolds (Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins) with the bases loaded led to a two-run single from
Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) to make the score 9-0 before the Scots escaped the bases loaded jam without the Knights scoring their 10th run.
Noah Etnyre (Northville, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) entered the game in relief and pitched the final two innings and allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out three to close out the win.
Calvin pitchers finished with 12 total strikeouts for the game and allowed five hits, while the defense behind them made all the plays required to help strand 10 Alma runners on base.
The Knights finished the game with nine total hits, led by two from Jaworowski.
Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) reached base three times thanks to three walks.
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action tomorrow (Thursday, April 24) when it opens a three-game series against Albion College at home with one game scheduled to start at 4:00 PM.
