ALBION, Mich. – Albion College started its final push to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Baseball Tournament with 3-0 and 4-3 wins over Calvin College at Frank Joranko Field.
Albion Coach Scott Carden went into the day believing his team must sweep its final eight contests to have any hope of gaining the tournament's No. 2 seed and home field advantage for the first round game on May 9. The Wednesday victories raise the Britons' record to 15-19 overall and 12-10 in MIAA play. The teams will complete the four-game series Friday with a doubleheader in Grand Rapids.
Mike Schypinski (Sterling Heights/De La Salle) collected 10 strikeouts and got some help from the defense to pitch his first complete game of the season in game one. Albion threw out a runner trying to advance to third base in the first inning, and a double play ended Calvin's bases-loaded threat in the second.
Schypinski got all of the run support he would need in the first inning. Chad Gromek (Lansing Catholic Central) walked, was sacrificed to second, and advanced to third on Chuck DeClarke's (Holt/Lansing Catholic Central) single. Gromek scored when the Calvin catcher's throw to second to catch DeClarke trying to steal sailed into center field.
Albion added two runs in the fourth as B.J. Konkle (Marshall) lifted a sacrifice fly and Adam Mazza (Macomb/Dakota) slapped a double down the right field line.
Albion trailed 2-0 in game two, but it plated runs in the second and third to tie the score. The Britons tacked on two runs in the fourth to boost Pete Salens (Bad Axe) to his third win of the season. Mazza produced the RBI in the second, and Konkle singled a run home in the third. Davin Montgomery's (Novi/Northville) doubled and scored in the fourth.