Baseball team splits home doubleheader with Hope

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a home Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader against Hope College this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. In the first game, the Comets scored three runs in the seventh to stun the Flying Dutchmen, 4-3. Hope won the nightcap, 9-2.

THE BASICS
Final Scores: Olivet 4, Hope 3; Hope 9, Olivet 2
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Hope 5-11 overall, 3-3 MIAA; Olivet 6-10 overall, 2-4 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• The Flying Dutchmen took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run home run. Hope added an unearned run in the fourth inning.
• The Comets scored their first run in the fifth inning. Sophomore Brandan Settles singled up the middle, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on sophomore Aaron Gillespie's double.
• In the seventh inning, senior Aiden Holliday walked. Sophomore Dillon Mitchell entered the game to run for him. Junior Jake Robinson hit a single to put two runners on base. Gillespie lined a 0-2 pitch into the right-center field gap to score Mitchell and Robinson. Gillespie ended up on third base for a triple. Freshman Junior Gomez was intentionally walked to put runners on the corners. Hope made a pitching change. The first pitch to junior Dugan Dieselberg was low. The second pitch was thrown into the dirt for a wild pitch, allowing Gillespie to score the winning run.

FOR THE COMETS

• Gillespie finished the game with two hits, a double and triple, and three RBI.
• Robinson, Settles and sophomore Riley Bennett each had two singles.
• Gillespie started on the mound. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings.
• Freshman Brenden Huggler earned the win after throwing a perfect seventh inning.

FOR THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

• Landon Bower and Evan Maday tallied three hits apiece.
• Mason Opple drove in two runs.
• Connor Grimes started on the mound but did not factor in the decision. C.J. Otteman was the losing pitcher.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Hope took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Maday hit a home run to lead off the game.
• The Comets tied the game with an unearned run in the home half of the first.
• Olivet grabbed a 2-1 lead after plating a run in the second inning when Settles hit an RBI-double down the left field line.
• The Flying Dutchmen scored eight runs, three in the third, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and two in the eighth, to cap the scoring.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet had just seven hits. The lone extra base hit was Settles' double.
• Bennett, Settles and freshman Ben Compton each had two hits.
• Seven pitchers threw in the game. Sophomore Zac Walter was the losing pitcher after allowing the first four runs on five hits.

FOR THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

• Jordan Fairchild and Danny Carrasco both had three hits.
• Fairchild collected three RBI.
• Maday scored three runs.
• Sam Balke picked-up the pitching win. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over five and one-third innings.

UP NEXT

• Olivet and Hope wrap-up the four-game league series on Monday afternoon with a doubleheader at Boeve Stadium in Holland. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The games were originally scheduled to be played tomorrow but have been postponed due to the impending weather.