GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — None of the players on the 2026 version of the Albion baseball team were born when the Britons last won nine games in a row.
After a 9-3 victory over Calvin at home on Friday, the Britons backed up their performance and swept the Knights in Grand Rapids, 8-2 and 11-9 the following day.
It added to their nine-game winning streak that began on Thursday, March 19 against Bluffton that marked their longest since 2002 when they won the first nine contests of the season. It was also Albion's first sweep of Calvin in a three or four-game series since 2019.
Game 1
All of Albion's eight runs in the game came in the first six innings.
Carter Stahl got it going in the first with an RBI single to plate the initial run.
Evan Schuster doubled and
Jack LaPorte singled in the second to make it 3-0.
Max Holser scored on a balk in the third. Then in the fourth, LaPorte reached on an error to score
Drew Ribble, and then
Gavin White broke the game open with a homer to center field for the commanding 7-0 lead.
The Britons got their final run in the sixth, courtesy of a Schuster solo shot to left field.
Calvin got their two runs in the eighth, both on groundouts.
Each of Albion's 10 hits came from the first five hitters in the order. Holser went 3-for-5, while Schuster, White and Stahl each recorded multi hits.
Quinn Lewis pitched seven stellar innings, giving up both runs, one walk and posting six strikeouts.
Zak Kelly threw the final two frames, allowing only three base runners.
Game 2
The second game was highlighted by a monumental comeback by the Britons. Down 9-2 in the seventh, Albion ripped off nine consecutive runs for the victory.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first on a fielder's choice, Calvin plated the next six scores. The Knights got two in the first on a groundout and double, one in the second on a single, one in the third and two in the fifth on an error.
Tyler Murphy grounded out in the sixth to score Stahl to make it a four-run game. Then in the home half of the frame, Calvin got one back on a wild pitch and then two more on a homer.
The Britons stayed cool, calm and collected in the seventh. Inch by inch, they fought their way back and were powered by a White three-run shot to left field to make it 9-5.
Then in the eighth,
Tyler Bronczyk doubled that scored two more runs. Then, LaPorte hit a two-RBI single up the middle to knot the score.
The Britons tallied two more insurance runs in the ninth on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly from
Jonjay Arreazola.
Eight different Britons contributed to their nine hits as a team, with
Grahm DeSantis being the lone batter to have a multi-hit game.
Brendan Schultz started the game on the bump and pitched the first 4.2 innings and struck out seven.
Ty Wasilenski got the win after pitching three innings of no-hit baseball, and Murphy recorded his second save of the season by shutting the door in the ninth with two punchouts.
Up Next
Albion will dive deeper into MIAA play with a single game against nationally-ranked Adrian on the road on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m.
