ADRIAN, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team lost its first-round game in the MIAA Tournament to Alma College 2-0 on Wednesday night at Adrian College.
 
Calvin (23-17) got a strong start from senior right-hander Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), but could not solve Alma (23-18) starting pitcher Tyler Johnson at the plate.
 
Johnson struck out 19 batters and held the Knights to two hits and one walk for the game.
 
Coil held the Scots off the scoreboard until the fifth inning when Alma hitters pieced together three straight two-out singles to scratch across the game's first run.
 
Alma struck again in the seventh thanks to a lead off triple followed by three straight one-out singles to make the score 2-0, but Kyle Koning (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) came out of the bullpen to strand the bases loaded and keep the Calvin deficit at two.
 
The Knights put a runner on in the eighth inning with a one-out walk by Noah Swope (Portage, Mich./Portage Central), but a line drive to left field by Landen Mikula (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns) was caught for the final out of the inning to end the threat.
 
Ian Schuster (Howell, Mich./Hartland) pitched two scoreless frames to give the Knights a chance in their final at bat. In the bottom of the ninth, Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) led off with an infield single and Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) followed with a fielder's choice that resulted in an error to move both runners into scoring position with no outs, but Johnson struck out the next three batters to end the game.
 
Coil (6-3) pitched 6.1 innings in defeat and struck out five while allowing two runs on 11 hits (10 singles).
 
Ryan Tschirhart (Clinton, Mich./Clinton) and Bonemer had the two Calvin hits.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action tomorrow (Thursday, May 8) when it plays Adrian College in an elimination game at 3:00 PM.