MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a tightly contested matchup, IUP baseball rallied late but fell just short, dropping a 5-4 decision to Hillsdale on Friday afternoon. Despite a strong effort at the plate, the Hawks couldn't overcome the Chargers' late-game surge.
The Hawks were down 1-0 early after a first inning error led to an unearned run. The response came in the third with a run-scoring double from
David Kessler to bring in
Davin Landers. The Hawks took over in the fifth, taking a 3-1 lead, off a triple from Kessler and an RBI single from
Ricardo Aponte. The Chargers came back to tie it in the sixth and took the lead in the seventh behind a strong hitting performance from Zak Kent to make it 5-3. The ninth inning comeback, led by Kessler and Aponte, cut the deficit to one, but a strikeout sealed the 5-4 loss.
IUP dropped to 1-4 while Hillsdale improved to 8-7 overall on the season.
Kessler had himself a day at the plate recording two hits, two runs, and two RBIs. Other key contributions came from Aponte,
Mike Huber, and
Mitchell Grosch who combined for five hits and two RBIs.
Au'sean Owens added a run to spark the fifth inning surge for the Hawks. On the mound, Shields led the charge pitching six innings and only gave up three runs on four hits.
In the first, errors put the Hawks down by one, but after that it was dead even between the two teams. In the second, the Hawks put two runners on with singles from Huber and
Cayden Bender but were unable to bring them home, while Hillsdale was retired in order. In the third, Landers scored off a double from Kessler. An impressive double play from
Peyton Johnson, Grosch, and Bender protected the tie game. In the fourth, little action was seen by either team with three quick outs each.
The Hawks broke through in the fifth when Owens led off with a single, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a Kessler triple. That was followed up with an RBI from Aponte to bring the Hawks up by two. An RBI single by Tyler Sowers brought the Chargers within one, making the score 3-2 going into the sixth. IUP's offense stalled in the sixth with three consecutive outs, and Hillsdale capitalized on an RBI single from Will Millard to tie it 3-3.
Things started to break down for the Hawks in the seventh when Huber and Grosch were left on base. Kent took over for the Chargers, delivering a two-run triple for the lead, 5-3. In the eighth, IUP was taken out in order when
Mateo Cepullio was caught stealing. A double play from Kessler, Grosch, and Bender saved the inning, keeping the score 5-3.
IUP showed signs of life in the ninth with crucial plate appearances from Kessler, Aponte, and Grosch, but it wasn't enough as the Hawks fell short 5-4.
Up Next
IUP will return to action tomorrow for another game against Hillsdale set for 3:00 p.m.
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