Baseball team splits doubleheader at Trine

ANGOLA, Ind. – The Olivet College baseball team split a doubleheader against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Trine University today at Jannen Field in Angola, Indiana. Senior Colin Boak pitched a complete game, three-hitter to lead the Comets to a 2-1 win in game one. The Thunder gained the split with a 9-6 come-from-behind victory in game two.

Without a benefit of a base hit, the Comets scored their first run of game one in the second inning. Junior Austin Cleaver and senior Stephen Botti both walked to start off the inning. A sacrifice bunt off the bat of sophomore Connor Murney was misplayed by the catcher to load the bases. Junior Andrew Dayfield hit a blooper into shallow left field. The ball glanced off the fielder's glove before he recovered in time to throw the ball and get Murney out at second. Cleaver scored on the play. 

Olivet added its second run in the third inning. Sophomore Luke Spotts hit a one-out single and went to second when junior Brady Johnson was hit by a pitch. After the second out was recorded, Cleaver lined a single down the right field line to plate Spotts.

Trine scored its run in the fifth inning. In the bottom half of the seventh, the Thunder's Kevin O'Malley drew a walk on a 13-pitch at-bat. The Comets ended the game by turning its only double play of the game.

Boak earned his first pitching win of the season. He struck out five batters and walked only one, while throwing 84 pitches. At the plate, the Comets had just four hits, including two from Spotts in the leadoff spot in the lineup.

In the nightcap, neither team generated any run production until the fourth inning. In the top half of the inning, Olivet plated a pair of runs. Senior Jimmy Schoof and Cleaver led off with back-to-back singles, and Botti advanced them both up one base on a sacrifice bunt. Murney reached on a throwing error to score Schoof and move Cleaver to third. Dayfield then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to bring home Cleaver.

The Thunder came back with three runs in their half of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The Comets answered with three runs in the top half of the fifth to go up 5-3. Senior Zach Kitzmiller and Johnson hit back-to-back doubles to score the first run. After Johnson stole third base and Cleaver walked to put runners on the corners, Botti hit a double to right field to score both runners.

Trine tied the game at 5-5 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Olivet came right back to take the lead back, 6-5, when it plated an unearned run in the visitor's half of the seventh. The Thunder scored twice in the home half of the seventh to gain the lead, 7-6, before adding a pair of insurance runs in the eighth.

The Comets finished the game with nine hits. Dayfield was a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles and an RBI. Johnson had two doubles and scored two runs. Four others each had one hit. Sophomore Joseph Crosby started on the mound and gave up five runs (two earned) on 11 hits in five and one-third innings. Senior Tyler Parish was charged with the loss, surrendering the two runs in the seventh.

The Comets and Thunder will attempt to complete the four-game league series tomorrow with a doubleheader at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, starting at 2 p.m.