Scots Run Away From Hope In Doubleheader
Game One Box ScoreGame Two Box Score
ALMA, Mich. - Alma College baseball improved to 2-2 on the season and picked up its first two conference wins of the year, defeating Hope 8-2 and 3-2 in the conference-opener Tuesday (Mar. 29) in Holland.
Originally scheduled to play three games over Mar. 28-29, the Scots and Flying Dutchmen were forced to be creative to get the games played as Klenk Park remained snow covered through the weekend.
In game one, 2004 MIAA Pitcher of the Year, junior Brandon Teenier (Holly) a got the Flying Dutch to lead off with two ground outs and a pop out before the Scots got to the plate. Junior Ray Ribitch (Mt. Pleasant) walked to give the Scots a base runner while Pat Ott (East Lansing) singled to short to move Ribitch to second. The Alma College stolen base leader got back to business, stealing third before Mike Zuehlke (Mt. Pleasant) struck out swining and Pat McGuire (Clare) ground out to second, ultimately driving Ribitch home to give the Maroon and Cream an early lead and moving Ott to second. Pete Ott (East Lansing) came to the plate and struck out to end the inning with the Scots holding a one-run advantage.
Drawing two more outs in the second, Teenier gave up his first hit of the game when John Deming singled to right field before getting Colin Fry to go down swinging to end the half inning. The Scots’ half of the inning proved to be the difference as Josh Reece (Muskegon/Mona Shores) singled to left to lead things off before Calvin Bassil (Jeddo/Croswell-Lexington) struck out for the first out of the inning. Adam Jerry (St. Louis) got a short infield single to go his way, moving Reece to second. When Dan Merian (Milford) was issued a walk from Hope pitcher Andrew Vlasak, it loaded the bases and the ensuing walk to Ray Ribitch scored Reece and left the bases loaded again. Pat Ott stepped up with a left field single, driving in Jerry and Merian. Pat Ott ended his run at second on the throw while Ribitch was credited with a stolen base on the play. Zuehlke struck out before McGuire and Pete Ott walked, driving in another run, the Scots’ fourth of the inning. Vlasak was pulled and Mike Rodgers was brought in to pitch but it made no difference as Reece stepped up with a two-RBI single before Bassil ground out to end the inning with six runs on four hits.
The third inning was silent for the Flying Dutch and got off to a slow start for the Scots with an Adam Jerry strikeout before Merian, a freshman, homered to left field for the inning’s only run.
Hope finally got on the board in the seventh when Jon Edmondson got on base on an error by Merian and Mike VanderVelde was issued a walk. A pop up to second and Bill Lutke’s single to left field drove in Edmondson for the Flying Dutchmen’s first run of the game, unearned. A Deming single into center loaded the bases with Teenier still on the mound before Colin Fry reached on a fielder’s choice, driving in VanderVelde. Danny Keogh hit into a double play to put out himself and Fry, ending the game in the Scots’ favor, 8-2.
Teenier threw a complete seven-inning game, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out six and walking one against 26 batters. Ribitch ended with two stolen bases while Merian picked up Alma’s first official home run of the year. Statistics of seven-inning, non-doubleheader (five of the Scots games in Ft. Myers, Fla.) games do not count toward official statistics or overall record, per NCAA rules.
In game two, with Wade Slavik (Ashley/Fulton) making the start for the Scots, Alma jumped to another early lead as Ribitch led off with his third walk of the series. Pat Ott opened the second game with a fly out to right field before Ribitch added a third stolen base on the day, taking second. Zuehlke took his base on balls and McGuire reached on a fielder’s choice, taking Zuehlke out at second, but driving Ribitch across the plate to give the Scots a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Reece couldn’t keep the scoring going, grounding out to second to end the inning.
Hope answered immediately, however, as Drew Bedan led off with a double into left field and headed to third on a passed ball by Reece behind the plate. A Fry fly out to left scored Bedan before the Scots forced two more outs to end the half inning tied at 1-1.
Through the third inning, neither team put scoring offense together to add the go-ahead run until Hope opened up in the fourth. Deming’s lead-off out brought Bedan to the plate as he singled to left. Colin Fry flied out to left for the second out of the inning before Sommavilla drew a walk, moving Bedan to second. Matt VanBeeik doubled to left, scoring Bedan for the go-ahead run before Blanchard filed out to left to end the half-inning. The Scots struggled through their half of the inning with three quick outs.
In the fifth, Brandon Shorter (Alanson/Harbor Springs) entered the game for Slavik, getting three outs despite an error by second baseman Pat Ott to put a runner on base. The bottom of the fifth proved to be the difference in the game as Bassil got his first hit of the series with a single to left, moving to third when Adam Jerry reached on a pitching error by Hope’s Mike Billingsley as Jerry moved to second on the throw. Merian ground out to third for the first out as did Ribitch, but Ribitch was able to drive in Bassil and move Jerry to third to tie the game at 2-2. A Pat Ott single to shortstop plated Jerry with an unearned but critical Alma run. Zuehlke ended the inning when he went down swinging.
Shorter allowed just one hit in the final two innings, a Fry single into left in the top of the sixth. The sophomore closed the game, picking up his first conference victory of the season in three innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out three while Slavik worked four innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
Posted: Tue, March 29th, 2005 at 7:01PM
