Eagles Baseball Drop Two at Hillsdale
April 13, 2003

Is the glass half full, or half empty? For the Hillsdale Chargers, the season is half done, but at this point, it’s already been a full about-face from a year ago.

Sunday (Apr. 13), at Hillsdale, the Ashland University Eagles were left with an empty feeling as they lost a pair of games to the Chargers, 4-2 and 4-3.

Ashland is 21-12-1, 9-4-1 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. HC is 18-10 and 10-6. A year ago, HC was 15-27 overall and 9-1 in league play.

AU had 11 hits in the two games and only three of those went for extra bases. In the first game, the Eagles left 10 runners on base.

AU led, 1-0 after three innings in Sunday’s opening game. The Chargers took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Chris Lattig and Jake Howells had singles in the inning, but an AU error led to two unearned runs.

The Chargers got two more runs across in the sixth. Those came in courtesy of Charlie Krebs, who had a two-run double down the right-field line.

AU senior shortstop Tim Hinchliffe was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Hinchliffe had a double and his first homer of the season. Senior righthander Chris Skibinski lasted 5 2/3 innings and took the loss, falling to 4-1. Skibinski allowed five hits and four runs, two earned. He walked two and struck out four.

Corey Krug went all seven innings for Hillsdale. He walked six and struck out two in improving to 4-0.

In the second game, HC scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to post the win. Krebs led off the frame with a double. Kyle Wade ran for him and advanced to third on an error. He then came home on Adam Goslin’s single. A bunt single by Mike McGavin put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice erased Goslin and moved McGavin to second. He came home on a single to left by Howells.

Senior rightfielder Adam Whetstone paced AU, going 2-for-2 with a homer. His three-run homer in the third inning accounted for all the AU scoring.

Senior righty Nate Wright took the loss. In 6 1/3 innings he was touched for 10 hits and four runs, all earned. He walked three and struck out two. Wright is 5-2.

Andy Lowell, pitching in relief of Matt Ruhl, got the win. Lovell went 4 2/3 innings and allowed just one hit. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. Lowell is 4-0.