Baseball: Olivet swept by defending champion Adrian, 9-2 and 10-3

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team lost both games of a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader to defending league champion Adrian College today at Nicolay Field in Adrian. The Bulldogs claimed a 9-2 win in game one and then took the nightcap by a 10-3 score.

In the opener, the Comets used a two-out rally to score a run in the first inning. Senior Drew Thompson hit a double to left-center field before sophomore Zach Kitzmiller brought him home on an RBI-single. Olivet extended its lead to 2-0 with a run in the third inning after freshman Luke Spotts hit a triple and scored on senior Beau Langs' sacrifice fly.

The Bulldogs got one back in the home half of the third and took a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Adrian batted around and plated six runs in the sixth inning. The Bulldogs retired the Olivet batters in order and on three straight groundouts in the seventh inning.

At the plate, the Comets collected only six hits. Spotts was 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot in the lineup. Junior Colin Boak was charged with the pitching loss after yielding all nine runs (five earned) on 12 hits, with four strikeouts and zero walks.

In the nightcap, Adrian took a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run in the first inning. Junior Ryan Hendricks hit Olivet's first home run of the season with a solo shot in the second inning to make the score 3-1. The Bulldogs got that run back in their half of the second.

The Comets cut their deficit down to one run, 4-3, with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Junior Stephen Botti drew a leadoff walk and went to third on Hendricks' single to right-center field. Senior Jonny Zawacki hit the first pitch he saw into center field to bring home Botti and advance Hendricks to second. After a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base, senior Tom Kort hit a sacrifice fly to plate Hendricks.

Olivet had the tying run at third base and the go-ahead run at first base with nobody out in the fifth inning. Adrian got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout. The Bulldogs responded with three unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning and then three more runs on a 3-run dinger in the sixth.

The Comets out-hit Adrian, 10-9, at the plate. Hendricks, Langs, Thompson and Zawacki had two hits apiece. Junior Jared Scheese suffered the pitching loss, as he gave up six runs (four earned) on five hits in four and one-third innings.

Adrian and Olivet will finish the four-game MIAA series tomorrow with a doubleheader tomorrow at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, beginning at 2 p.m.