HOOVER, Ala. - The nationally-ranked Davenport baseball team got a wake-up call on Friday in their first action of 2022. The Panthers were swept in a doubleheader by Hillsdale College, picked to finish seventh in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Chargers won 15-14 in 10 innings in game one and then cruised to a 13-4 win in game two. Pitching and defense were key components behind the game one defeat as DU allowed 15 runs on 15 hits and committed six errors. The game was close because Hillsdale had nearly the exact line allowing 14 runs on 14 hits and also committing six errors. The first game nerves were certainly present as both teams traded leads throughout the contest.

Davenport served as the home team in game one and allowed two runs in the top of the first. They answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Carson Eby had a fielder's choice resulting in an RBI. Ben Mets had a RBI single to right field. Christian Petre had an infield RBI single which allowed Eby to score. Hillsdale responded with three runs in the top of the second and ended the day for starting pitcher James Kohl. Kohl coming off a tremendous 2021 season did not have his typical good stuff. He allowed four hits in 1.2 innings and walked two with no strikeouts. Only two of his five runs allowed were earned however.

Davenport took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the second as Gaetano Vallone had a two-RBI single to left field and Cam Hart had his first RBI as a Panther with a sacrifice fly to right field. The score remained that way until the top of the fifth. Derrick Edington tossed two scoreless innings in relief but ran into trouble in the fifth. Hillsdale scored twice to take a 7-6 lead and both runs were scored with two outs. Edington went 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit but his command was erratic with six walks and five strikeouts.

Davenport looked to be in the driver's seat with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-7 lead. Mets again delivered with men on base with a two-RBI single to center field. Hart then deposited a ball over the left field wall for a three-run home run, the first for the Panthers this season. The Chargers did not quit though and got two runs back in the sixth to trail 11-9. Michael Lincoln in his first action since March 8, 2020 also against Hillsdale before the pandemic hit and canceled the rest of the season. Lincoln had to sit out the 2021 season due to inury. Lincoln gave up those two runs but got out of the inning.

The Panthers scored once in the bottom of the sixth as Brennan Lux had a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Logan Hylek. Pablo Jacques in his first outing as a Panther tossed a scoreless seventh inning but was lifted in the eighth after giving up a run for Spencer Vainavicz. He hit the only batter he faced and then Ricky Clark came in. Hillsdale climbed back to down 12-11 as Clark retired the final batter of the inning with a strikeout with the bases loaded.

DU increased their lead to 14-11 in the bottom of the eighth as Hylek had a RBI triple to center field. Lux had another sacrifice fly to score Hylek and the Chargers were down to their final three outs down three runs. In a spot where Cal Djuraskovic would normally close the game out last season, his departure means someone else needs to fill that closer role. Clark could not get it done today allowing three runs to send the game into extra innings. DU went out in the ninth and then the Chargers scored once in the top of the 10th for the 15-14 lead against Zach Haefer. He gave up a leadoff double and then a wild pitch with one out advanced the runner to third. Haefer had another wild pitch that scored the winning run. DU could not answer after Hylek led off with a walk with three consecutive outs.

This wild opener featured six pitchers by the Chargers and eight hurlers for the Panthers. DU pitchers walked 13 batters and uncorked six wild pitches. And to think that this game could have been wilder as Hillsdale left 15 runners on base and Davenport left 12 runners on base. Vallone had three hits on the day and scored twice. Hart led the team with four RBI. Hylek reached base four times with two hits and two walks.

The wind might have been out of the team's sails in the second game as they lost 13-4. Tyler Hill made his debut on the mound but could not make it out of the first inning as Hillsdale scored five times, all earned, against Hill. He went 0.1 innings and allowed two hits with three walks. The Chargers led 6-0 when the Panthers got on the board in the top of the fourth. Mets had a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Petre. Hillsdale led 8-1 when the Panthers scored again in the seventh. Nolan Anspaugh had a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Vallone.

Hillsdale got five more runs in the eighth inning to leave no doubt. Logan Bursick-Harrington in his first outing as a Panther hit a batter and then walked the next two. In all he gave up five earned runs in 0.2 innings. Caleb Anspaugh had a two-run home run in the ninth to conclude the scoring. Eby went 2-for-4 in game two. DU had seven hits off three Hillsdale pitchers as Will Gifford got the start and went six innings to get the win. He allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out 12 Panthers with zero walks.

These two teams will play one more game tomorrow in Hoover, Alabama with a 1:00 PM eastern time (12:00 PM central time) first pitch.