Baseball team splits season-finale doubleheader at Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team closed out the 2019 season with a doubleheader split at Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Kalamazoo College on a sun-drenched afternoon at Woodworth Field. The Comets won the first game, 6-4, in eight innings before the Hornets came back to win the second game, 11-4.

Final Score: Olivet 6, Kalamazoo 4; Kalamazoo 11, Olivet 4
Location: Woodworth Field; Kalamazoo, Mich.
Records: Kalamazoo 15-22 overall, 13-15 MIAA; Olivet 7-33 overall, 5-23 MIAA

• The Comets plated a run in the first inning after junior Brandan Settles scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Logan Sella.
• The Hornets used a two-out rally to push across the tying run in the second inning.
• Stefan Leclerc hit a leadoff triple in the fourth inning, and he came around to score a run for Kalamazoo.
• The Hornets scored an insurance run in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI-double.
• In the sixth inning, Olivet loaded the bases with nobody out. Freshman Matt Hewitt walked on a full count to bring home Sella and re-load the bases. After a pitching change, sophomore Seamus Mitchell was hit by a pitch to score freshman Trevor Savage who entered the game as a pinch runner. Kalamazoo recorded three outs to get out of the bases-loaded jam and keep the score knotted at 3-3.
• The Comets went ahead 4-3 in the seventh inning. Settles and junior Riley Bennett hit back-to-back singles and then stole third and second base, respectively. After an out was recorded, freshman Dayton Regier put down a squeeze bunt and Settles scampered home with the go-ahead run.
• In their half of the seventh, the Hornets had a two-out hit into shallow center field to score the tying run and send the game to extra innings.
• In the eighth inning, Hewitt and sophomore Bruce Allen reached on base hits. Following a double steal, a wild pitch scored Hewitt and advanced Allen to third base. A batted ball by freshman Jake Csizmadia was misplayed by the third baseman to allow Allen score.
• Kalamazoo brought the tying run to the plate in the home half of the eighth but two fly outs ended the game.

• At the plate, Olivet had nine base hits, all singles.
• Hewitt and Sella were both 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
• Settles scored two runs.
• On the mound, sophomore Max Daust started but received a no decision. He allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings.
• Junior Matt Rehfeldt was credited with the win. He allowed the seventh-inning run but came back in the eighth to get the three outs.

• Leclerc was 3-for-3 with two runs.
• Jordan Wiley and Alex Fultz each had two hits, including a double.
• Jacob Gilhaus picked-up a no decision after yielding three runs on five hits over five innings.
• Jack Tagget was charged with the pitching loss after surrendering the eighth-inning runs.

• Kalamazoo led 5-0 behind a run a run in the first inning and four more runs in the second inning.
• The Comets plated their two runs in the fourth inning.
• The Hornets broke the game open with four runs in their half of the fourth. Those runs made the score 9-2.
• Olivet added a run in the sixth inning after senior Jake Robinson hit a pinch-hit RBI-double to score sophomore Jake Allen.
• Kalamazoo ended its scoring in the sixth on a two-run homer by Leclerc.
• The Comets capped their scoring with a single tally in the seventh.

• Olivet had just four hits.
• The hits were Robinson's double, and singles by Sella, freshman Hayden Zimmerman and senior Zach Oshinsky.
• Freshman Brendan Redding was tagged with the pitching loss after surrendering five runs on four hits and two walks over the first three innings.

• Leclerc was 2-for-3 with a walk, triple, home run, two runs and four RBI.
• Chase Coselman had two hits, a double, two runs and three RBI.
• Drew Novetsky also tallied two hits.
• Max Novick was the winning pitcher. He gave up two earned runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out seven over five innings.