UOlivet suffers two losses to Grace Christian in home-opening doubleheader

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet softball team welcomed Grace Christian University to the Cutler Athletic Complex for its first home doubleheader of the season. The Tigers went home with two wins, 4-1 and 7-4, over the Comets.

THE BASICS

• Final Scores: Grace Christian 4, Olivet 1; Grace Christian 7, Olivet 4
• Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 1-13 overall, Grace Christian 11-14 overall

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• Grace Christian used a squeeze bunt to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Olivet answered with a run in the home half of the first. Sophomore Zola Smith singled up the middle before sliding under the tag at the plate when sophomore Alexis Bond roped a double off the fence in left-center field.
• The Tigers scored an unearned run in the top half of the third. The Comets left the tying run stranded on base in their half of the third, fifth and sixth innings. Grace Christian used a two-out hit to plate two runs in the seventh inning. The Tigers retired Olivet 1-2-3 with three ground outs in the bottom of the seventh.
• For the game, the Comets recorded five hits. The lone extra-base hit was Bond's double. The other four hits were singles by Smith, sophomore Haylie Wenke, and freshmen Alisha Gahn and Cayla Konop. In the circle, Konop was the losing pitcher. She gave up only one earned run on seven hits over the seven innings.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• Grace Christian jumped out to a 5-0 lead when it scored two runs in the first and three runs in the third inning. Olivet cut the deficit down to a pair of runs when it plated three runs in the last part of the third. Junior Shaelyn Lampinen led off with a single and advanced to third on Wenke's single. Wenke took second base on the throw to third. Smith and Bond had back-to-back RBI-singles to score Lampinen and Wenke. After a fielder's choice out, Gahn grounded out to bring home Smith with the third run of the frame.
• The Tigers added an insurance run in both the fifth and sixth innings. The Comets plated one run in the seventh on Smith's RBI-single which scored Wenke.
• For the game, Olivet totaled eight hits. Bond, Lampinen and Smith each had two hits. The other hits were by Wenke and sophomore Olivia Burt. Gahn picked-up the pitching loss, as she allowed five unearned runs on seven hits over the first four innings. Sophomore Hailey Henning threw two innings of relief, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. Konop pitched the seventh inning.

UP NEXT

• The Comets resume Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action next Wednesday, April 16, when they host Kalamazoo College for a doubleheader. Game one is slated to begin at 3 p.m.