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Nic Bender points toward the camera.
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Pictured, Nic Bender
9
Albion ALBION 13-15
10
Winner Hope HOPE 10-21
Albion ALBION
13-15
9
Final
10
Hope HOPE
10-21
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Albion ALBION 0 0 0 2 3 2 2 0 0 0 9 15 1
Hope HOPE 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 10 14 1

W: Genuise, Collin (1-1) L: B. Raether (1-6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alan Babbitt

Baseball Stuns Albion in 10 Innings in MIAA Series Opener

Four hours and 14 minutes after the first pitch, Cade Seabaugh blasted the final one over the centerfield fence at Boeve Baseball Stadium for an improbable, walk-off Hope College victory.

The left-handed power-hitter jumped on the first pitch he saw with nobody on and one out in the 10th inning to send the Flying Dutchmen jubilantly to a 10-9 victory over Albion College on Friday.

Seabaugh's third homer in four games completed a stunning comeback in the series opener. Hope persevered through a 1-hour and 10-minute rain and lightning delay and a 9-3 deficit after seven innings.

Winning for the fourth time in five games, the Flying Dutchmen (10-21, 5-7 MIAA) moved within one game of fourth place in the MIAA standings. The top four teams advance to next month's league tournament. Hope trails Albion and Kalamazoo College by one game.

The Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to play a doubleheader at Albion on Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m.

Dorow said his team's competitive drive, no matter the situation, is starting to stick.

"We've said all year long that we continue to fight as a team. That's exactly what happened tonight," Dorow said. "Cade's a real mature hitter. All of his hard work and preparation with the coaches is paying off. He's just pitched differently this year. He's working to make sure he's on time for mistakes."

Seabaugh (Ballwin, Missouri / Ladue Horton HS) battled back after starting the game 0-for-4, beginning the game-tying three-run rally with a one-out double and scoring on an RBI single from senior Dylan Kleinedler (Sterling Heights, Michigan / Stevenson). 

Hope overcame striking out 18 times as a team and leaving the bases loaded three times. Seabaugh's fifth home run of the season was his third in four games. The business major launched the ball more than 375 feet to centerfield, about 10 feet left of the 20-foot centerfield fence that could have held him to a double.

Many at-bats and pitches set the stage for the Flying Dutchmen, who played in their fifth one-run MIAA game this season. Hope had lost the past three such contests.

Albion (13-15, 6-7 MIAA) grabbed a 9-3 lead before the lightning/rain delay by scoring twice in the fourth, three times in the fifth, and twice in the sixth and seventh innings. The Britons had runners at first and second with nobody out when reliever Nic Bender (Caledonia, Michigan / Caledonia) entered.

Umpires stopped play immediately after seeing lightning. An hour-plus later, Bender returned to the mound and retired three consecutive batters to end the threat. The right-hander scattered three hits and two strikeouts over 3.1 innings of work.

"Coming back after lightning is always a sticky situation. Nic was just warmed up, cooling down, then ramping it back up again," Dorow said. "I talked to him before he went out, and he felt good. He's got really good stuff. I was as confident in him as anybody for him to go out and shut the door." 

Junior Collin Genuise (Allendale, Michigan / Allendale) took over for Bender with one out in the 10th and nobody on. The left-hander retired both batters he faced, evening his record at 1-1.

In the eighth, Hope recorded a hit for the first time since the third inning on a solo homer from junior Brenden Collins (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Hackett Catholic), his second homer of the season. 

The Flying Dutchmen tacked on two more runs in the rally: a sacrifice fly from junior Jace DeMann (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian) that brought home senior Al Money (Midland, Michigan / Midland) and a passed ball that scored Kleinedler.

In the ninth, Hope batted around and forced extra innings by scoring three runs, all with two outs. After Kleinedler scored, freshman Colton Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm) reached on an Albion throwing error that brought in Kleinedler.

The next batter, freshman Granden Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm),  then knocked in Kleinedler with the tying run and his first RBI with a pinch-hit single to center.

Hope left the bases loaded for the third time of the game but kept Albion off the board in the top of the 10th to set up Seabaugh's heroics. Seabaugh's homer, approximately 375 feet, was the Flying Dutchmen's 14th hit on the day. Collins and Coltin Kinnie led Hope with three hits apiece. 

Albion finished with 15 against five Hope pitchers.

Watch Seabaugh's walk-off winner below.
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