by Odille Parker 

The Hope College baseball team rallied late in the eight inning of Game 2 against Calvin to sweep the Knights in a doubleheader Friday afternoon.

The Flying Dutchmen won the first game 5-2 in seven-innings, and 9-8 for the second nine-inning game, improving their record to 5-2 overall. Hope has won its last five games in a row.

In Game 1, Calvin scored first on a wild pitch by Kameron Miller in the bottom of the third. Hope responded in a decisive fifth-inning stretch.

Shortstop Robbie Stuursma singled to right field to bring third baseman Joey Merucci of Northville Township (Catholic Central) home and put Hope on the board. Stuursma, of Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids), then scored on a 2 RBI single by junior Spencer Cable (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS). Junior Kainan Bayn of Zeeland (Zeeland East) scored as well.

Hope had five stolen bases during the inning, including two home steals, one by second baseman Nolan Gardner of Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids) and the other by Cable, bringing the score to 5-1. 

Miller, pictured left, held on strong at the mound all game, allowing just one more run in the seventh inning. The senior from Coldwater (Coldwater HS) allowed just seven hits, striking out three and walking one.

For the second game, Calvin scored first again, but back-and-forth scoring action marked most the game until the Flying Dutchmen took the final lead in the eighth inning. 

Gardner was the first to score for Hope on a first-inning hit by senior Cal Barrett of Chelsea (Chelsea HS), which also moved outfielder Evan Maday to second. The senior of Grand Rapids (East Kentwood HS) stole home to tie the game at 2-2.

Hope took the lead in the second on another RBI by Cole, bringing Bayn home. 

Shortstop Brant Kym got on base in the third inning with a double to left field. The senior of  Libertyville, Illinois (Libertyville HS) scored on a double by Merucci.

First baseman Andrew Gilpin, pictured right, of Brighton (Brighton HS) hit his first career home run to make the score 6-2.

The Knights responded with three runs in the fourth, one in the sixth, and took the lead 8-6 in the top of the eighth. 

Hope had two unearned scores by Gardner and Cable in the bottom of the eighth after Maday reached first on an error by Calvin, and moved to second. Barrett singled to left field and advanced to third on a balk, bringing in Maday home for the final score of the afternoon.

Junior Dane Martin of New Baltimore (L'Anse Creuse North) recorded his first save of the season. Matt Plaehn of Okemos (Lansing Catholic) recorded the win for Hope. 

The Flying Dutchmen play again tomorrow, Saturday, March 20 against Alma College and Kalamazoo College in Westfield, Indiana. The first game is at 11 a.m.