by Alan Babbitt

Take it to the bank. Al Money is a superb fielder for the Hope College baseball team.

With the tying run on third, the freshman from Midland, Michigan (Midland HS) deftly scooped up a hard-hit grounder to third and threw to first for the final out in a 2-1 victory against Calvin University in the MIAA Tournament on Wednesday at Boeve Stadium.

Top-seeded Hope (27-8) advanced to host Kalamazoo College in a second-round game on Thursday, May 12, at 10 a.m. The winner moves on to the championship round on Friday, May 13, at noon, at Boeve Stadium.

Kalamazoo (24-11) rallied to defeat visiting Adrian College, 7-6, in Wednesday's other first-round game. The remainder of the MIAA Tournament will be played at Hope. Adrian (21-19) will play Calvin (18-17) on Thursday in a 1 p.m. elimination game.

MIAA Tournament Central | Hope Tournament Website Site

"We got a little adversity in the ninth," head coach Stu Fritz said. "Third base, nobody out. Shane just found a way. Caleb (Regan) made a big play, blocked it up on a strikeout. Then Al Money, a big play."

Money, pictured left, kept Calvin from tying the score with a team-leading 70th assist of the season and helped closer Shane Hykin preserve starting pitcher's Sean Hoey's school-record ninth win of the season.

After starting on the mound in the top of the ninth, Hykin yielded a leadoff bloop single to Caden Penn. A wild pitch and a passed ball moved Penn over to third with no outs.

With nobody out, Hykin retired cleanup hitter Rick Padilla on a popout. The senior from Ada, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern) then struck out Matt Raymond — with catcher Caleb Regan completing the putout with a throw to first after blocking a pitch in the dirt.

Andrew Hung then sharply hit a grounder to Money's left. Money picked it off the ground with his glove hand and fired over to first baseman Andrew Gilpin for the final out.

Hykin recorded his sixth save of the season, tying the right-hander for third most in team history with Jordan Carrigan (2012) and Christian Otteman (2018). Carrigan also posted seven saves in 2010. Matt Glowacki had a record eight in 2016.

Hoey (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa), pictured right, passed three other Hope pitchers for the wins record after improving to 9-0.

The right-hander struck out six and scattered four hits over eight innings of work. Calvin, which outhit the Flying Dutchmen, 5-3, scored in the second after back-to-back, two-out hits, including a run-scoring double from Gabe Bonemer.

The pitching duel featured the MIAA's second- and fifth-leading pitchers for earned run average.

Calvin starter Ian Doyle struck out two, gave up two hits, and walked five over six innings.

Hope scored the go-ahead run on a sixth-inning single from second baseman Nolan Gardner (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids), pictured right, that plated right fielder Kainan Bayn (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East).

The Flying Dutchmen grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when senior center fielder Evan Maday blasted his ninth home run of the season over the right-field fence.

Maday (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Kentwood) is now tied for fifth in Hope's single-season history with nine home runs. The team record of 11 is shared by Chad Ruby (1998) and B.J. Maas (2003).

Maday's 21 career home runs are second most all-time behind 30 from Maas (2001-03).

"I thought today when we put the barrel on the ball, it went into gloves for the most part other than the home run," Fritz said. "Ironically, the game-winning hit is a bleeder up the middle.

"I thought it was really good defense by both clubs, really good pitching by both clubs. Not many free bases. Just a really good game."