Baseball team overcomes 10-run deficit to defeat Hope College, 15-12
The Olivet College baseball team rallied from a 10-run deficit after two innings to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) leader Hope College 15-12 today. The Fighting Comets extended their MIAA win streak to 12 games.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hope
|
8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 14 | 0 |
|
Olivet
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 15 | 15 | 2 |
OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team rallied from a 10-run deficit after two innings to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) leader Hope College 15-12 today. The Fighting Comets extended their MIAA win streak to 12 games.
Olivet (23-15, 12-4 MIAA) is one step closer to sharing the league title with Hope (18-15, 14-2 MIAA) and advancing to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Comets and Flying Dutchmen will play two games on Thursday, May 8 beginning at 1 p.m. In order to receive the league's automatic berth, Olivet must win both games.
Hope sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored eight runs. The Flying Dutchmen added two more runs in the second inning. Olivet scored three runs in the third when sophomore Matthew Hurley (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/White Plains) hit a three-run double to left centerfield with two outs.
The Comets added six runs in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to one run at 10-9. They took the lead with three runs in the fifth inning, including a clutch two-out two-run double by senior Steve Held (Brampton, Ontario/Saint Augustine) . Hope tallied a single run in the sixth inning. Hurley had another two-out base hit to score two runs, and a wild pitch scored Olivet's final run in the seventh inning. The Dutchmen did not end the game quietly as they scored a run and left the bases loaded in the ninth.
Held, senior James Neeley (Ontario, Canada) and junior Beau Locker (Coldwater/Union City High School) all had three base hits. Held had two two-run doubles and scored two runs. Neeley and Locker scored four and three runs, respectively. Hurley drove in a game-high six runs.
Junior William Lawrence (Hamilton, Canada/Bishop Ryan) pitched exceptionally well in relief of starter Josh Kellogg (Morley/Stanwood High School). Lawrence tossed six and two-thirds innings, allowing eight hits, three earned runs. He also struck out six batters. Junior D.J. Celetti (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/Notre Dame) pitched the last inning and two-thirds to pick-up his league-leading fifth save. He gave up two base hits and struck out one.