Baseball team splits MIAA-opening doubleheader at Albion

ALBION, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team began Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play by splitting a doubleheader at Albion College this afternoon at Champions Field. After the losing the first game, 10-6, the Comets salvaged the split by hanging onto win the nightcap, 3-2.

Final Scores: Albion 10, Olivet 6; Olivet 3, Albion 2
Location: Champions Field; Albion, Michigan
Records: Olivet 3-9 overall, 1-1 MIAA; Albion 5-7 overall, 1-1 MIAA

• The Comets scored a run in the top half of the first inning before the Britons answered with a pair of runs in their half of the first.
• Olivet took a 6-2 lead with three runs in the third inning and two more runs in the sixth inning. The first run of the sixth was on a solo home run by senior John Kortz.
• Albion then sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs in the bottom half of the sixth.

• Olivet recorded nine hits.
• Junior Matt Hewitt, senior Matt Fisher and senior Logan Sella were each 2-for-3.
• Hewitt scored two runs and stole four bases.
• Sophomore Ryan Upton was charged with the pitching loss after giving up eight runs on 10 hits over the first five and two-thirds innings.
• Junior Brendan Redding allowed two runs on three hits before getting the final out of the sixth inning.

• The Britons tallied 13 hits.
• Matt McGann was 4-for-4 with a double and three singles. He also scored three runs.
• Drew Olszewski had two hits.
• Kevin Korte was the winning pitcher.

• The Britons led 2-0 behind single tallies in the first and third innings.
• Olivet tied the game in the fifth inning.
• The Comets pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of seventh. Hewitt led off with a triple down the left field line and came around to score on Fisher's RBI-single.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Albion loaded the bases with nobody out. The Comets out of the jam with a strikeout looking for the first out, a pickoff at third base for the second out and a ground out.

• Olivet collected seven hits.
• Kortz was 2-for-3.
• Junior Hunter Henson went the distance on the mound to pick-up the win. He gave up the two runs on four hits, while striking out seven.

• Four different players recorded a base hit.
• Olszewski suffered the pitching loss in relief of starter Kellan Huang.

"It was a big day for Comet baseball," said Olivet head coach Shelby Dixon. "We had a chance to grab two wins but walked out with a split which puts us in a great position to win the series tomorrow on our home turf. We have things we need to tighten up and improve but this team has a ton of heart and competitiveness which will keep us in a lot of ball games."

• Albion and Olivet finish the four-game series tomorrow with two games at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, starting at 1 p.m.