|
Box Score 2 by Greg Chandler
The 2021 Hope College softball season came to a close Saturday afternoon at Wolters Stadium.
The Flying Dutch, who won a share of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this season, defeated Adrian College, 5-2, in an elimination game, but fell to archrival Calvin University, 5-1, as the Knights won Pool B of the MIAA tournament.
Hope finished the season with a record of 25-11, the seventh consecutive complete season (not counting the 2020 season, which ended after three games because of the COVID-19 pandemic) in which the Flying Dutch won at least 20 games.
After third-seeded Calvin opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning, second-seeded Hope tied the score in the bottom of the second. With one out, sophomore right fielder Cayley Ebeling of Shelby Township, Michigan (Utica HS) drew a walk. Freshman Peyton Benjamin of Eaton Rapids, Michigan (Eaton Rapids HS) followed with a single, and an infield single by junior second baseman Arinn King of Hudsonville, Michigan (Hudsonville HS) loaded the bases.
Senior left fielder Jo Cook of Birch Run, Michigan (Birch Run HS) then singled to right to score Ebeling, tying the score at 1-1 and leaving the bases still loaded. However, a fielder's choice at the plate and a groundout prevented further damage.
Calvin took the lead for good in the fourth, putting together two singles, two walks and a fielder's choice to score two runs and take a 3-1 lead.
Hope had an opportunity for a big inning in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs on a walk, a single and an error. But three consecutive strikeouts ended the threat. Calvin iced the win with two insurance runs in the seventh.
The Knights advanced to play the winner of the MIAA Tournament Pool A final between top-seeded Trine University and fourth-seeded Alma College, which will be played on Monday, May 10. The pool champions will play a best-of-three tournament championship series next week.
Hope managed just five hits in the game, only two over the final five innings. Senior designated player/pitcher Megan Soderbloom of Dowagiac, Michigan (Dowagiac HS) doubled in the seventh for the Flying Dutch's only extra-base hit.
Freshman pitcher Alaina Adams of Oak Creek, Wisconsin (Milwaukee St. Thomas More HS) took the loss for Hope, allowing three runs and five hits over three innings, striking out three and walking one. She finished the season at 5-3.
Junior Avery Slancik of Scotts, Michigan (Vicksburg HS) capped off a day where she did not allow a run in relief as she hurled three shutout innings, allowing three hits.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, the Flying Dutch rode the long ball and solid relief work by Slancik to avenge a Friday tournament loss to seventh-seeded Adrian.
Hope jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by junior first baseman Kaelin Callow of Plainfield, Illinois (Plainfield HS) and a two-run homer by senior catcher Morgann Kanouse of Cadillac, Michigan (Cadillac HS), her third roundtripper of the season.
Adrian battled back with two runs in the third to cut the lead to 3-2, before Slancik came in to stop the rally. She got help from Callow, who cut down a Bulldog runner at the plate trying to score the potential tying run.
Callow added to the Hope lead in the fourth by blasting her first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the fence in left-center field, for a 5-2 Flying Dutch advantage. She finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Adrian's last major threat was in the fifth, as the Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out on three consecutive singles. But Slancik induced a short flyout to left and a popup to second to silence the threat and strand three Bulldogs.
Slancik gained her 10th win of the season with five shutout innings, scattering five hits. She did not walk a batter.
Adrian outhit Hope 12-6 for the contest. Besides Slancik's outstanding relief work, Hope's defense turned in several key plays, including a double play in the first and Kanouse picking off an Adrian runner on third in the second.
Kanouse went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the Adrian win.
The 2021 season marked the sixth MIAA regular season softball championship for Hope, which the Flying Dutch shared with Trine. It was the second title for Hope in Coach Mary VandeHoef's 11 seasons. The first game of the 2022 season will be VandeHoef's 400th as head coach at Hope. Her career record stands at 246-151-2.
