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#BeStrongBeTrue
Owen Weber poses for a portrait.
Erik Holladay-McCann
Pictured, Owen Weber
7
Hope HOPE 9-22, 3-9 MIAA
15
Winner Kalamazoo KZOO 27-3, 11-1 MIAA
Hope HOPE
9-22, 3-9 MIAA
7
Final
15
Kalamazoo KZOO
27-3, 11-1 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Hope HOPE 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 7 8 3
Kalamazoo KZOO 1 3 1 3 2 2 0 3 X 15 12 3

W: Carson Orvis (5-0) L: Reeves, Noah (1-6)

5
Winner Hope HOPE 10-22, 4-9 MIAA
1
Kalamazoo KZOO 27-4, 11-2 MIAA
Winner
Hope HOPE
10-22, 4-9 MIAA
5
Final
1
Kalamazoo KZOO
27-4, 11-2 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Hope HOPE 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 5 9 2
Kalamazoo KZOO 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1

W: Weber, Owen (2-2) L: Robert Ahlgren (4-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alan Babbitt

Owen Weber Stymies No. 8 Kalamazoo, Baseball Splits Series-Opening Doubleheader

Eight sensational innings from freshman starting pitcher Owen Weber and timely hitting launched the Hope College baseball team to a 5-1 upset of eighth-ranked Kalamazoo College on Friday at Davenport University in Caledonia.

The Flying Dutchmen split the series-opening doubleheader, rebounding from a 15-7 loss in Game 1. The three-game set, which is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m., was moved to Davenport because of unplayable field conditions at Kalamazoo and Hope after this week's rain.

Hope handed the Hornets just their fourth loss in 32 games this season and their second in 14 MIAA games. 

"We played so well," head coach Ryan Dorow said of the Game 2 performance. "There are some times we have opportunities to just grind it out as good as anybody. We didn't hit great, but we had long at-bats. There was no secret sauce after Game 1, just play a cleaner baseball game and good things are going to happen. That's exactly what happened."

Weber held Kalamazoo to three hits and one unearned run over eight innings. The right-hander from Canton, Michigan (Canton) struck out six and walked two while throwing 106 pitches. He struck out the final batter he faced.

"For an 18-year-old to do what he did is pretty impressive. He looked as good in the eighth as he did in the first," Dorow said. "He threw pitches for strikes and kept the off-balance, which you have to do against Kalamazoo. He had a rough start last weekend coming off sickness and just went to work this week. He delivered a super gritty performance."

The Flying Dutchmen staked Weber to a 2-0 lead with a two-run second.

Sophomore third baseman Nick Verduzco (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Hackett Catholic) opened the scoring by ripping a one-out RBI triple to left center and knocking in second baseman Colton Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm).

The next batter, senior outfielder Brenden Collins (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Hackett Catholic), brought home Verduzco with a run-scoring grounder.

Hope doubled the lead with a two-run fourth. Collins delivered a two-out, two-run double that scored senior first baseman Cade Seabaugh (Ballwin, Missouri / Ladue Horton) and Kinnie. Seabaugh doubled to reach base, while Kinnie singled.

Kalamazoo pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out throwing error. Weber wasn't fazed and did not face more than four batters in each of the next four innings.

Sophomore catcher Thatcher Simon (Byron Center, Michigan / Byron Center) added a ninth-inning sacrifice fly that plated Collins.

In Game 2, Kalamazoo scored at least a run in each of the first six innings, taking a 10-1 lead after the fifth.

Sophomore left fielder Corbin Bennetts (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) went 3-for-5 for the Flying Dutchmen with two runs scored.

Senior designated hitter Charlie Saul (Batavia, Illinois / Batavia) collected two RBIs. Collins had two hits for Hope (10-22, 4-9 MIAA).
 
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