Baseball team ends season with two losses to Kalamazoo

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team closed out the 2018 season with a pair of losses to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Kalamazoo College this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. The Hornets withstood a Comet comeback in the seventh inning to win the first game, 5-4, before winning the nightcap, 15-4.

THE BASICS
Final Scores: Kalamazoo 5, Olivet 4; Kalamazoo 15, Olivet 4
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Kalamazoo 20-19 overall, 17-11 MIAA; Olivet 10-30 overall, 6-22 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• The Hornets scored two runs in the first inning, one run in the third inning and two runs in the sixth to go up 5-0.
• The Comets pushed across their first run in the bottom half when junior Jake Robinson deposited a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left field for his second home run of the season.
• Olivet used a two-out rally to score three runs in the bottom half of the seventh. Freshman Logan Sella struck out but reached base when the third-strike pitch went to the back stop. Freshman Bruce Allen lined a pinch-hit single to advance Sella to third base. Freshman Brandan Settles hit an RBI-double to plate Sella and move Allen to third base. Freshman Ben Compton roped a single down the left field line to score both runners. The rally and game ended with a ground out.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet out-hit Kalamazoo, 9-7.
• Compton, Robinson and Settles each had two hits.
• Sophomore Zac Walter suffered the pitching loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits over three innings.
• Junior Travis Petts allowed two runs on one hit, with three walks, over two and one-third innings.
• Freshman Domanic Smith tossed an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief.

FOR THE HORNETS

• Chase Coselman went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI.
• Josh Reuter tallied two hits.
• Jacob Gilhaus went the distance on the mound to earn the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Olivet plated a run in the first inning. Compton led off the inning with a single, stole second base and eventually scored on junior Dugan Dieselberg's two-out RBI-single.
• The Comets maintained the 1-0 lead until the Hornets exploded for 15 runs (five runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, five in the seventh and three in the eighth).
• Olivet pushed across three runs in the ninth inning.

FOR THE COMETS

• Batting out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, Compton notched three of the eight Olivet hits.
• Senior Connor Murney finished with two hits in his final game.
• Dieselberg also had two hits and walked twice.
• Senior Aiden Holliday was tagged with the pitching loss after yielding seven runs (two earned) on seven hits over the first five and one-third innings.
• Seniors Austin Hickey and Joseph Crosby, and freshman Drew Coulter threw in relief.

FOR THE HORNETS

• At the plate, Jordan Wiley went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs and two RBI.
• Todd Bonnivier also tallied three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI.
• Coselman, Andre Gard and Zach Prystash each collected two RBI.
• Gard started on the mound but did not factor in the decision since he threw only four innings.
• John Kunec was labeled with the pitching win. He allowed two hits in two innings.
• Three relievers each tossed an inning.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Between games, the Comets saluted the five seniors – Crosby, Colton Dawdy, Hickey, Holliday and Murney – who wore a Comet uniform for the final time.
• With his pitching appearance in game two, Crosby broke Olivet's single-season record with his 22nd time on the mound.
• Sophomore Riley Bennett broke the single-season school record for fielding assists with 133.
• Freshman Junior Gomez tied for the ninth-most home runs in a season with five.