by Alan Babbitt

As the Hope College baseball team begins its quest for a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship next week, the Flying Dutchmen are proving to be a threat for big innings at the plate.

The Flying Dutchmen won three of four games this weekend behind decisive rallies at Calvin University in 5-2 and 9-8 wins on Friday and against Alma College in an 11-3 win on Saturday in Westfield, Indiana.

While Hope dropped its final game on Saturday to Kalamazoo College, 7-2, head coach Stu Fritz liked what he saw.

"Just a lot of fight and a lot of belief in each other," said Fritz, whose Flying Dutchmen are now 6-3 on the season. "We have the ability to pick each other up. There's never a sense of panic. We're just able to string hits together."

On Saturday, Hope erupted for a seven-run top of the fourth inning against Alma. The Flying Dutchmen sent 11 batters to the plate.

Six consecutive batters reach base. Senior shortstop Brant Kym (Libertyville, Illinois/Libertyville) started the rally with an RBI single. After a double from senior third baseman Joey Merucci (Northville Township/Detroit Catholic Central) put runners at second and third, junior first baseman Andrew Gilpin (Brighton, Michigan/Brighton) delivered an RBI single.

After senior left fielder Evan Becker (Rochester, Michigan/Stoney Creek) walked to load the bases, freshman designated hitter Robbie Stuursma (East Grand Rapids, Michigan/East Grand Rapids) took a hit by pitch for an RBI. 

Junior right fielder Stephen Cable (Hudsonville, Michigan/Hudsonville) forced in another run with a walk. Sophomore second baseman Nolan Gardner (Grand Rapids, Michigan/East Grand Rapids), pictured right, followed with a two-run single to end the rally. Cable also scored on the play due to an Alma throwing error trying to get him out at third.

On Friday, Hope swept Calvin thanks to a five-run top of the fifth in Game 1 and a three-run bottom of the eighth in Game 2.

Eight different Hope batters recorded at least one hit against Alma (4-5). The top three in the lineup — Cable, Gardner and Maday — combined for seven runs batted in and three runs scored. 

That was more than enough support for starting pitcher Al Vasquez (1-1), pictured left. The senior right-hander from Chelsea, Michigan (Chelsea) scattered four hits and three runs over 6 ⅔ innings. Only one of the runs was earned.

Vasquez struck out seven and walked one.

Kalamazoo (6-0) turned the tables on Hope with a four-run bottom of the first. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak.

Junior third baseman Grant Barrett (Chelsea, Michigan/Chelsea) recorded an RBI single for the Flying Dutchmen. 

Becker forced in Hope's other run by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

The game was the final "non-league" one in a nine-game stretch that opened the season. None of the games against MIAA opponents counted toward the league standings.

The Flying Dutchmen shuffled the lineup against Kalamazoo. Fritz was proud of how everyone competed against the Hornets, who beat No. 17 Adrian College in their first game on Saturday.

"We think it's important that we gave some of the younger kids a chance to play because we didn't have a spring trip this year," Fritz said. "it was a close game. They scored two runs in the seventh. Now we've got a week to get ready for the start of league play."

Hope opens MIAA play with a four-game series against Kalamazoo on Friday-Saturday, March 26-27.