Baseball Team Sweeps Calvin College, 11-9 and 15-14
The Olivet College baseball team swept a doubleheader today at Calvin College. The Fighting Comets won the first game, 11-9, and rallied with eight runs in the seventh inning to win the nightcap, 15-14. The victories extended Olivet's win streak to seven games.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Olivet College baseball team swept a doubleheader today at Calvin College. The Fighting Comets won the first game, 11-9, and rallied with eight runs in the seventh inning to win the nightcap, 15-14. The victories extended Olivet's win streak to seven games.
After Calvin took a 3-0 lead in the first game, Olivet (13-12, 5-4 MIAA) erupted with eight runs in the top of the fourth inning and hung on for the victory.
At the plate, both junior Richard Strain (Livonia Churchill High School) and freshman Stan Cieslak (Troy Avondale High School) were three-for-four. They had a double and run batted-in a piece. Junior Beau Locker (Coldwater/Union City High School) had two hits and three RBI. Junior Joe Richards (Galesburg Augusta High School) also drove in three runs and freshman Jason Rooley (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/Korah) had two base hits. On the mound, senior Jacob Marlow (Delton Kellogg High School) tossed the first six innings to pick-up his third victory. He allowed nine hits, five earned runs and struck out six batters.
In the nightcap, Olivet fell behind 8-3 after three innings. The Comets cut the deficit to one run with four runs in the fourth, including a three-run home run by sophomore Matthew Hurley (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/White Plains). Olivet rallied to cut it to one after the first half of the fifth inning. Calvin tallied five runs in its half of the sixth and another one run in the sixth.
The Comets then scored eight runs on five hits and an error in the seventh inning. Calvin had runners on first and second base in the seventh with one out. Olivet turned a double play to end the game and complete the three-game MIAA series sweep.
Four different Olivet players -- Hurley, Locker, Richards and senior James Neeley (Ontario, Canada) had two hits a piece. Hurley drove in four runs and Richards had three RBI, including a lead-off homer to start the seventh inning. Locker and senior Steve Held (Brampton, Ontario/Saint Augustine) each scored three runs. Junior D.J. Celetti (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/Notre Dame) earned the victory after pitching the final inning in relief.
Olivet will next be in action on Tuesday, April 22, when it hosts Defiance (Ohio) College in a non-conference single game at 4 p.m. Next Friday-Saturday, the Comets will travel to play Kalamazoo College in a MIAA series. Friday's single game will start at 4 p.m., and the doubleheader will start on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.