Baseball team splits home twinbill with Calvin

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a twinbill with Calvin College in the last two games of a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) series today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. Sophomore Jake Ball (Cadillac) threw a complete game, four-hitter to lead the Comets to a 3-0 shutout win the first game. The Knights won the nightcap, 2-0, to prevent Olivet from sweeping the four-game series.

In the first game, the Comets scored two runs in the fourth inning. Calvin's best scoring chance came in the top half of the sixth inning when it had runners on the corners with nobody out. Olivet got out of the jam when Jake VanAlten popped up a suicide bunt attempt and the runner on third base was caught off the base too far. When Ben Cok was up to bat, the runner at first base was thrown out trying to steal second base. The Comets used the momentum and scored an insurance run in their half of the sixth.

Olivet was held to just four hits, including two singles from junior Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western). He also scored two runs. Junior Justin Pitt (Imlay City) and senior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) each had one hit, while Pitt drove in two runs. Ball gave up the four hits, struck out five and walked only one batter in his seven innings.

In the second game, the Knights scored an unearned run in the fourth and added another run in the sixth.  The Comets had three hits and only one runner was able to get in scoring position. Hits were a double by freshman Drew Thompson (Canton/Plymouth) and singles by Young and freshman Peter Panos (Davison).

Junior Kyle Fisher (Vermontville/Maple Valley) was the losing pitcher, as he threw the first six innings and allowed the two runs (one earned) on five hits. Freshman David Hernandez (Lansing/Eastern) pitched a hitless inning of relief.

Olivet will host Davenport University Tuesday afternoon for a nine-inning game at 3 p.m.