April 22, 2012
Baseball team swept by Trine, 3-1 and 6-2
OLIVET, Mich. – On a cold and windy day, the Olivet College baseball team fell to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Trine (Ind.) University, 3-1 and 6-2, today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.
In game one, the Thunder took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top half of the third inning. The Comets responded by scoring an unearned run in their half of the third. Freshman Peter Panos (Davison) hit an RBI-double to score sophomore Jonny Zawacki (Alpena). Trine went back ahead 3-1 when it scored two runs in the fourth inning. Olivet did not go down without a fight, as it had the bases loaded in the sixth and left the tying runs on base in the seventh.
The Comets recorded six hits, with six different players each collecting one. The only extra base hit was Panos' double. Sophomore Jake Ball (Cadillac) threw all seven innings, giving up the three runs on seven hits.
In game two, the Thunder pushed across an unearned run in the first inning. There was no more scoring until the sixth inning when Olivet broke through with two runs to take a 2-1 lead. With the bases loaded, freshman Drew Thompson (Canton/Plymouth) hit a ball that misplayed by the third baseman, allowing sophomore Joel Peters (Auburn Hills/Avondale) to score the tying run. Junior Justin Pitt (Imlay City) drew a bases-loaded walk to score senior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) with the go-ahead run.
Trine then took advantage of a sloppy Comet defense to score five runs in the top half of the seventh inning. The Thunder scored the five runs on three hits and three Olivet errors.
For the game, the Comets were held to three hits, all singles by Peters and freshmen Tom Kort (New Hudson/South Lyon) and David Hernandez (Lansing/Eastern). Junior Kyle Fisher (Vermontville/Maple Valley) was the hard luck losing pitcher. He went the distance on the mound and yielded just one earned run on eight hits, while striking out five.
Olivet will play MIAA leader Adrian College in its next four-game league series. The teams will play the first two games at Adrian's Nicolay Field Friday, April 27, starting at 4 p.m., and then the final two games in Olivet Saturday, April 28, starting at 1 p.m.
