By Alexandria Webb
From Friday March 20 to Sunday March 22, Grand Rapids Community College men’s baseball traveled to Sandusky, Ohio to play a total of five games in just three days. The Raiders returned home with an overall record of 4-1.
The GRCC baseball team played their first game on Friday against Muskegon Community College. As MCC hung onto the lead for most of the game, the Raiders at the top of the sixth pushed for three runs, finally giving them a one-point lead. At the top of the seventh, the Raiders earned another run, giving a total score of 8-6. At the bottom of the final inning, an MCC player hit a home run, allowing them to close in by one point from the Raiders. Yet, GRCC’s defense allowed no further runs and closed the game out with a win with a final score of 8-7.
The Raiders then looked forward to their next opponent on Friday, squaring off against Delta College. The Raiders maintained the lead until the bottom of the fourth, where Delta met them in a 3-3 tie. Yet, the team broke through in the next inning, gaining three runs. In the top of the seventh, they took the lead by six points after a notable homerun from Sophomore Shortstop Paul Cannon. GRCC took the win by getting the first three Delta batters out in the bottom of the seventh, resulting in a 9-3 victory for the Raiders.
On Saturday, the baseball team battled against Alpena Community College and lost the game 4-5. The Raiders rounded out the game with no errors, and even led the overall game with 11 total hits. Sophomore First Baseman Peter Heintz led the team defensively with 11 put outs, and offensively led the team with 2 runners batted in.
Next the Raiders played Bay College and completely shut them down. In just a five-inning game, they scored a total of 18 runs, leading them to a convincing score of 18-1. Offensively, Freshman Left Fielder Noah Ritsema and Heintz tied in leading the team with 3 runners batted in.
On the final day, the Raiders played against Mid Michigan College. The team had to battle as they played a full seven inning game ending with a final score of 4-5. Sophomore Catcher Carter Gulick led the team defensively with 7 put outs, with Heintz following close behind with 6 put outs.
Offensively, Sophomore Cannon Paul batted .538 with a triple, a home run, and five stolen bases. Paul also received the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) North Player of the Week. Over the weekend, Freshman Michael Hurlbutt and Sophomore Jack Lockwood helped the team by hitting home runs. As a team, GRCC baseball posted a .333 batting average, a .511 on-base percentage, and a .475 slugging percentage.
The Raiders did very well on the mound pitching as Freshman Conner Marciniak, Freshman Samuel Vanneste, sophomore Kyle O’Hearn, and Sophomore Kyler Larson each earned wins over the course of the five games. With a combined 10 pitchers, the Raiders totaled to a 3.55 earned run average, with 31 strikeouts, which left the opponents with a .238 batting average.
The Raiders will be playing a doubleheader against Delta College on Friday, March 27, starting at 2 p.m at Belknap Park. Be sure to check the team schedule for a location change if home field conditions are unplayable.
