GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team overcame a four-run deficit in the ninth inning of game two to split its Saturday doubleheader against Hope College and win the season series 2-1.
 
Hope (12-25, 6-12 MIAA) won the first game 2-0 before Calvin (15-22, 6-12 MIAA) walked off the Flying Dutchmen with a 6-5 win in game two on a bases-loaded single from Noah Swope (Portage, Mich./Portage Central).
 
Game One
 
Hope won the opening game by a 2-0 final by holding the Knights to three hits.
 
Neither team could scratch across a run over the first four innings, but Hope finally cashed in a chance in the fifth off Calvin starting pitcher James Ross (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) to take a 1-0 lead. Ross danced around trouble in the second, third and fourth frames unscathed before the Dutchmen scored one run on three hits in the fifth to take the lead.
 
The Knights loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs but could not convert and the score remained 1-0 until the top of the ninth, when Hope added an insurance run off Calvin reliever Ben Hoekstra (Hudsvonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and retired the Knights in order in the ninth to secure the win.
 
Ross (1-5) pitched five innings and allowed one run on seven hits while striking out eight in defeat. Hoekstra allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts in four innings of relief.
 
Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos), Swope and Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont) each finished with one hit apiece for the Knights.
 
Game Two
 
Calvin overcame a four-run deficit with a five-run ninth inning to win game two 6-5 on a walk-off single by Swope with the bases loaded.
 
The Dutchmen were in control throughout the game, scoring four early runs against Calvin starting pitcher Drew Diehl (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic Central), and then another off reliever Landen Harris (Paw Paw, Mich./Paw Paw/Concordia University Ann Arbor) in the sixth to take a 5-0 lead through five.
 
The Knights finally scratched across their first run of the day in the sixth on a Swope groundout, but left runners at second and third base in the eighth inning to keep Hope's lead at 5-1 through eight innings.
 
Harris kept the Knights in the game, allowing only one run in five relief innings, and the Knights started the bottom of the ninth with a double by Nelson and single from Peyton Ruthven (Portage, Mich./Portage Central). After a fielder's choice left runners at the corners with one out and the Knights still trailing 5-1, a Hope error allowed one runner to score, and the next two batters reached base via walk to cut the deficit to 5-3.
 
With the bases loaded and one out, Landon Evans (Richland, Mich./Gull Lake) and Parker Seth (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded to tie the game at 5-5. Facing the third reliever of the inning, Swope lined a single on a 1-0 pitch with the bases loaded to left center field, scoring Ryan Tschirhart (Clinton, Mich./Clinton) from third base to win the game.
 
Harris (2-2) overcame early control struggles to battle through five strong relief innings, allowing only one run on five hits with two strikeouts to earn the win.
 
Tschirhart and Nelson led the offensive effort with two hits apiece, while Swope drove in two of the Knights' six runs on the day. Nelson also threw out two Hope runners on the bases in the game.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Today was a struggle but we finished strong with some really good at bats in the final inning to put some pressure on them and then Noah had a great swing to get us over the hump," Calvin head coach Joel Schipper said. "It wasn't perfect, but it was good to get the series win. JR (Ross) and Benny Hoekstra gave us a chance in game one, and Landen gutted through some innings in game two to give us a chance to come back. Looking forward to playing Trine at LMCU next week."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action on Thursday, April 30, when it faces Trine College at LMCU Ballpark at 7:00 PM.