Softball: Mayse’s seven hits help Comets win two 13-5 games at Calvin

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sophomore Devon Mayse went 7-for-9 to help the Olivet College softball team sweep Calvin College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader today at the Gainey Athletic Complex in Grand Rapids. In the first game, Mayse became the first player in school history to collect five hits in a game, as the Comets won, 13-5. Olivet then won the nightcap by an identical, 13-5 score in six innings.

The Comets scored a run in the first inning of game one when sophomore Kelsey Scheenks crossed the plate on freshman Madison Spry's single. After the Knights answered with a run in their half of the first, Olivet plated a run in the second inning. Freshman Konnor Geiger was hit by a pitch to start the inning, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Haley Reed, went to third on a groundout and came around to score on Scheenks' triple.

Calvin leveled the score at 2-2 on back-to-back doubles in the third inning. The Comets responded in a big way in the fourth inning when they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on six hits. After back-to-back Knight errors put the first two batters on base, senior Ashley Milheim loaded the bases on an infield bunt single.

Scheenks drew a walk to bring home Geiger with the first run. Sophomore Ashlynn Grubb then hit a two-run single to score Reed and Milheim, and move Scheenks to third base. Grubb went to second on the throw to the plate. Following a pitching change, freshman Kris Forest hit a double to score Grubb and Scheenks. Mayse then roped a double to the left-center field gap to score Forest. A ground out moved Mayse to third before Geiger lined a single up the middle of the infield to score Mayse with the seventh run of the inning to make the score 9-2.

Calvin scored a run in the fourth inning to cut its deficit to 9-3. The Comets answered with a run in its half of the fifth and then used a two-out rally to plate three more runs in the top half of the seventh. Forest had a single before Mayse stroked a double in the right-center field alley to score Forest. Sophomore Jessica Palumbo hit her own double to plate Mayse. Geiger followed with a single through the left-side of the infield to score Palumbo. The Knights hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning for the final margin.

Batting out of the six spot in the lineup, Mayse had a base hit in each of her five trips to the plate and each hit was in a different inning. She had three singles and two doubles to go along with two runs scored and two RBI. Four other players had a multi-hit game, as Milheim, Forest, Geiger and Reed each collected two hits.

Scheenks, Grubb, Forest and Geiger also drove in two runs apiece. Grubb earned the pitching win. She gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits, while striking out 10.

In the nightcap, Calvin scored two runs in the top half of the first inning. Olivet trimmed its deficit in half on an RBI-double by Mayse to score Scheenks. The Comets took the lead with a five-run fourth inning. Scheenks hit an RBI-single before Forest blasted a grand slam home run.

The Knights pushed across three runs in their half of the fifth inning. Olivet got those three runs back and one more in its half of the fifth. A wild pitch on a ball four pitch brought home sophomore Christine Wood with the first run. Later in the inning, Grubb, Forest and Palumbo each had an RBI-hit.

Olivet ended the scoring in the sixth inning. Grubb and Forest both drew bases-loaded walks to score runs, while Mayse ended her day and the game with a sacrifice fly where Scheenks slid under the tag at the plate.

The Comets finished the game with 16 hits. Milheim was 3-for-5. Scheenks reached base in all five of her plate appearances, with three hits and two walks. She also scored four runs. Forest had two hits and game-high six RBI. Grubb was the winning pitcher, as she allowed the five runs (four earned) on seven hits.

Olivet will close out the 2015 season tomorrow with a non-conference doubleheader against North Park (Ill.) University. The games will be played at the Chicago Bandits Stadium in Rosemont, Illinois.