Baseball team lets lead slip away in 17-6 loss to Davenport

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team led 6-5 before Davenport University scored 12 unanswered runs to beat the Comets, 17-6, in a non-conference game today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

Davenport scored one run in the first inning and two more runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Olivet trimmed its deficit to one run, 3-2, when it scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third. The Panthers stretched their lead back to three runs with single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings.

The Comets then sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs on five hits in the bottom half of the fifth. Freshman Drew Thompson (Canton/Plymouth) started the rally with a double into the left-centerfield gap. He moved to third on a groundout and crossed the plate on a single from junior Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western). A single from junior Andrew Brawley (Niles) put runners on first and second.

Freshman Joey Myers (Holt) and senior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) hit back-to-back doubles to drive in Young and Brawley. Freshman Peter Panos (Davison) had a sacrifice fly to plate Myers. Davenport erupted for its 12 unanswered runs, seven in the sixth and five in the seventh. Olivet had one base runner in the final four innings.

For the game, Clark went 3-for-3 with two doubles. Thompson and sophomore Joel Peters (Auburn Hills/Avondale) each had two hits. Seven Comet pitchers threw in the game. Junior Jay Magro (Bridgman) was charged with the loss.

Olivet now turns its focus to a four-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) series with Hope College. The teams will play a doubleheader at Hope's Boeve Stadium Friday afternoon, starting at 2 p.m., and the series shifts to Olivet for two games Saturday at 1 p.m.