LaGRANGE, Ga. – Albion College Coach Scott Carden hopes his team's 12-7 opening day victory over LaGrange College proves to the players that they can have success.

"The difference between us and the top teams in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is swagger," Carden said. "We didn't play comfortable with (a 12-0) lead. We need to learn how to win.

"I thought the hitters' approach was good, but we need to execute," Carden added. "Give the LaGrange fielders credit, too, for making two or three plays that saved some runs."

Mike Schypinski (Sterling Heights/DeLaSalle) scattered three hits and a walk over seven shutout innings and he received support when the Britons scored five times in the third.

"Mike didn't have his best stuff, but that is a testament to his talent," Carden said. "Mike looked great. I mean, they got a couple of seeing-eye singles and they never had a good scoring chance."

Albion's first three batters – Davin Montgomery (Novi/Northville), Tommy Barrett (Bloomfield Hills/Brother Rice), and Dan Mills (Northville) – reached safely in the third. The Britons hit into a double play, but Adam Mazza (Macomb/Dakota) and Chuck DeClarke (Lansing/Lansing Catholic) walked to set the table for B.J. Konkle (Marshall) who delivered a two-run single.

Mazza added a RBI single in the sixth and Montgomery was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Mills lofted a RBI sacrifice fly in the seventh. Mills and Montgomery combined for five hits

LaGrange scored all of its runs in the eighth.