Baseball: Comets split home doubleheader with Calvin

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader against Calvin College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. The Knights won the first game 5-1. Behind freshman Aiden Holliday's first collegiate pitching win and senior Jonny Zawacki's third save of the season, the Comets won the nightcap, 6-3.

In the opener, Calvin took an early 1-0 lead on Colton Wolfe's solo home run in the first inning. Wolfe added a two-run single in the fifth to make the score 3-0. Olivet got one run back in the home half of the fifth when senior Peter Panos doubled down the left field line and scored on Zawacki's single up the middle. The Knights answered with a run in the sixth and Wolfe capped the scoring with another solo home run in the seventh.

Offensively, the Comets had eight hits. Zawacki was 3-for-3, while Panos went 2-for-3. Junior Stephen Botti, senior Nikolai Jump and sophomore Zach Kitzmiller each had one hit. Junior Collin Boak threw six solid innings to start the game, giving up four earned runs on seven hits to be tagged with the loss. Junior Jared Scheese tossed an inning of relief.

In the nightcap, Calvin grabbed a 2-0 lead with single tallies in the second and third innings. Olivet took a 4-2 lead with four runs in the fourth inning. With Zawacki standing on third and Botti on second, Panos hit the ball to the third baseman, who threw home in an attempt to get Zawacki out at the plate but Zawacki was safe with the first run.

After a ground out scored Botti with the tying run, freshman Colton Dawdy hit an RBI-single to plate Panos. Senior Drew Thompson hit the first pitch he saw into left field to move Dawdy to second base. Jump then lined a 0-2 pitch into shallow right field to plate Dawdy.

The Comets added another run in the fifth inning. Senior Beau Langs had a lead-off single and then advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Zawacki then flew out to center field for a sacrifice fly to score Langs. Olivet pushed across another run in the sixth inning. Senior Tom Kort was hit by a pitch and went to second on Thompson's single. Kort then hustled around the bases to score on Jump's single.

Calvin scored a run and brought the tying run to the plate with only one out in the seventh inning. Zawacki entered the game on the mound and needed only four pitches to get the last two outs. The first batter he faced popped out and the second batter grounded out.

At the plate, the Comets recorded 10 hits. Thompson had a hit in each of his three trips to the plate, while Jump went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Five other players collected one hit apiece. The lone extra base hit was a double by Botti.

Holliday made his first start on the mound, and allowed two runs on five hits in four and one-third innings for the victory. Botti threw two innings of relief before handing the ball over the Zawacki for the final two outs in the seventh.

The Comets and Knights will finish the four-game conference series tomorrow with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Grand Rapids.