Albion completes three-game sweep of Kalamazoo

» GAME ONE STATISTICS
» GAME TWO STATISTICS

Reported by Jake Lloyd, '07
Albion College Sports Information Student Assistant
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Albion College baseball team experienced both ends of the excitement spectrum Saturday, April 10, as it swept a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association doubleheader from Kalamazoo at Woodworth Field by scores of 12-10 and 9-0.

The opener was filled with excitement as the Britons needed a seventh-inning rally to pull out the victory.

Trailing 10-7 entering the seventh, the Britons put together a five-run inning to take the lead from the Hornets. Second baseman Mark Flancbaum (Orchard Lake/West Bloomfield) highlighted the rally with a two-run double to trim Albion's deficit to 10-9. Senior designated hitter Matt Shook (Coldwater/Coldwater) had the most clutch hit of the inning when he doubled with two outs to score Flancbaum and knot the score at 10.

Albion took the lead and got an insurance run when sophomore Pete Grostic (Muskegon/Muskegon) reached on an error by Kalamazoo's third baseman, allowing two Briton runners to score.

Sophomore Matt Lipsey (Grand Ledge/Grand Ledge) pitched a perfect bottom-of-the-seventh for the Britons and got the win. Lipsey improved to 2-1 by giving up two runs in three innings of work.

There were a combined 28 hits between the two teams, with the Britons getting 15. Junior shortstop Bryan Sayers (Chelsea/Chelsea) led the Britons with three hits and two RBI. Five other Britons recorded two hits.

Albion led 4-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning before the Hornets scored nine runs in the next three innings to set up the seventh-inning heroics.

The nightcap wasn't nearly as exciting. The Briton bats were still alive, but Kalamazoo's were not. Behind a complete-game five-hitter from junior David Seales (Alma/Alma) and an eight-run second inning, Albion cruised to a 9-0 blanking of the Hornets.

Seales faced just 28 batters in improving to 3-3.

The second-inning bruising consisted of eight Albion hits, two walks and a hit batter to lead off the inning. Sayers highlighted the inning with a two-run home run, his second jack of the season. Besides that, Albion's seven other hits were singles.

The 9-0 lead was more than enough of a cushion for Seales. After the first inning, the Hornets advanced a runner to second just twice and no Kalamazoo runners reached third.

Sayers was one of four Britons to smack two hits as Albion got 13 hits and a combined 28 for the day. Junior right fielder Chris Trott (Plymouth/Plymouth Salem), senior third baseman Mike Cieszkowski (Howell/Hartland) and centerfielder Richard Engelman (Grand Blanc/Flint Powers) also notched two hits. Sayers had five hits on the day and Engelman had four.

The wins improved Albion's record to 15-10, 5-1 in the MIAA and moved the Britons within a half game of first-place Adrian. The Hornets fell to 2-17, 1-7.

Albion will take a brief break from MIAA play Wednesday, April 14, when it travels to Ada, Ohio, for a nine inning game at Ohio Northern University. The Britons will resume league play April 16 and 17 when it hosts a critical series against Adrian at Frank Joranko Field.

Updated Monday April 12, 2004 by Albion College Sports Information