Baseball team splits doubleheader with Calvin
The Olivet College baseball team opened MIAA play by splitting doubleheader with Calvin today at the Cutler Athletic Complex. Behind a complete game pitching performance from junior Jake Ball, the Comets won the first 4-2. The Knights salvaged the split with an 11-3 win in the nightcap.
OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team opened Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play by splitting doubleheader with Calvin College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex. Behind a complete game pitching performance from junior Jake Ball (Cadillac), the Comets won the first 4-2. The Knights salvaged the split with an 11-3 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, Olivet scored three runs in the last half of the second inning. The Comets added an insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth inning. The Knights plated a pair of unearned runs in the sixth inning. Calvin brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh but a double play ended its scoring threat.
On the mound, Ball allowed the two unearned runs on seven hits, while striking out three and walking none. At the sophomore Joey Myers (Holt) was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored. Sophomore Tom Kort (South Lyon) went 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI. Juniors Dylan Betcher (Lansing/Everett) and Jonny Zawacki (Alpena) each drove in a run.
In the nightcap, the Knights pushed across three runs in the top half of the first inning. Olivet answered with a two-out rally to score two runs in its half of the first. Myers had a RBI-single to score senior Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western), who reached base on a double down the right field line. After Zawacki singled, sophomore Drew Thompson (Canton/Salem) singled up the middle to score Myers.
The Comets used another two-out rally to tie the game with a run in the second inning. Sophomore Beau Langs (Climax/Climax-Scotts) had a single, stole second base and scored on a single by Young.
The Knights put the game away with eight unanswered runs, scoring two in the fourth and three more in each the sixth and seventh innings.
Offensively, the top six batters in Olivet's combined for its seven hits in the game. Young was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI. The only other extra base hit was a double for senior Andrew Brawley (Niles). On the mound, senior Jay Magro (Bridgman) started and suffered the loss, as he gave up three earned runs on seven hits in four innings. Three relief pitchers combined to allow six earned runs on eight hits over the final three innings.
Calvin and Olivet will complete their four-game MIAA series with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon in Grand Rapids, starting at 1 p.m.