by Alan Babbitt

The Hope College baseball team went pitch-for-pitch with Adrian College in Game 1 of the MIAA Tournament championship series before falling, 6-5, in 13 innings on Wednesday.

It was the longest game in MIAA Tournament history.

Second-seeded Hope (25-14) must win twice at top-seeded Adrian (31-7) on Thursday, May 20 to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Game 2 begins at 3 p.m, with Game 3, if necessary, following at approximately 6 p.m.

Adrian walked it off with one out in the bottom of the 13th on pinch-hitter AJ Miranda's bases-loaded single off reliever Sean Hoey (2-1). The loss snapped the Flying Dutchmen's 14-game winning streak.

Winning pitcher Jacob Hanoian (1-0) held Hope scoreless over the final 4 ⅓ innings. He struck out three and allowed one hit.

The Bulldogs denied the Flying Dutchmen's bid to win the game in the ninth with a leadoff walk, a wild pitch, and a single from Tristin Richardson, the second batter of the inning.

Hope seized a 5-4 lead in the eighth on a solo home run from shortstop Brant Kym (Libertyville, Illinois / Libertyville), pictured left. It was Kym's third homer of the season.

The Flying Dutchmen rallied from a 4-1 deficit after the second inning.

First baseman Grant Barrett (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea) capped a two-run sixth with an RBI double to left that scored Kym.

Two batters earlier, Kym singled in center fielder Evan Maday (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Kentwood), pictured right.

In the fifth, left fielder Spencer Cable (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) singled home second baseman Nolan Gardner (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids).

Hope grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when catcher Cal Barrett (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea) singled home Maday. 

Maday moved into scoring position after singling by recording his 34th stolen base of the season. Maday ranks second among Division III baseball players in stolen bases this season.

Adrian answered with three runs in its first at-bat of the game and one more in the second.