An 11-2, Senior Day victory on Thursday put the Hope School baseball workforce on the cusp of postseason play.
The Flying Dutchmen defeated visiting Trine College within the collection opener at Boeve Stadium to cut back their magic quantity for a spot within the MIAA Event to at least one.
Hope wants both one victory from a doubleheader at Trine on Friday, Could 5, at 1 p.m. or one Albion School loss throughout a three-game weekend collection in opposition to Calvin College to safe a minimum of a No. 4 seed in subsequent week’s MIAA Event.
With an 11-8 league report, the Flying Dutchmen are 2 ½ video games forward of Albion and Calvin. Hope holds the tiebreaker edge over Calvin after successful the season collection, however Albion earned the tiebreaker in opposition to the Flying Dutchmen with a collection victory.
After the sport, head coach Stu Fritz honored seven seniors, together with six student-athletes — Kainan Bayn, Spencer Cable, Shane Hykin, Eli Kane Dane Martin, and Caleb Regan — and one student-manager, Keaton Hamilton. Hamilton pitched for 2 seasons for the Flying Dutchmen earlier than accidents ended his profession prematurely.
“To have this yr not fairly go how we thought it’d go early on however have them play nicely late is a tribute to them — their resiliency and management. It is an incredible group of children,” Fritz stated. “The largest factor I can level to is our tradition. I all the time assume that tradition and expertise, with time, normally proper itself. I feel we’re beginning to see that slightly bit. I feel that is a tribute to these seniors from what’s occurred within the weight room, the classroom and on the sector.”
Two seniors performed pivotal roles within the Flying Dutchmen elevating their report to 19-17 total and 11-8 in MIAA play: Hykin, the beginning pitcher, and Cable, the cleanup hitter.
Hykin (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern) earned the win by going six innings and permitting simply two second-inning runs.
The correct-hander struck out 9 over 100 pitches whereas giving up 5 hits and two walks. Hykin is now 6-1 season, a career-high for wins.
Three relievers, together with two seniors in Martin and Kane, every tossed scoreless innings.
The Flying Dutchmen collected 18 hits.
Cable (Hudsonville, Michigan / /Hudsonville) went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Within the fifth, Cable hit a solo homer — his third of the season and the twelfth of his Hope profession.
Middle fielder Robbie Stuursma (East Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) additionally went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. The junior blasted a go-ahead, two-run homer within the third inning that gave the Flying Dutchmen a 3-2 lead.
It was Stuursma’s third residence run of the season and the eighth of his profession.
Hope added two extra runs within the third. Senior Nolan Gardner (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) singled residence senior proper fielder Kainan Bayn (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East), then scored on a single from junior shortstop Devin Meeuwsen (Rockford, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian).
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