Baseball team beats Wabash, 7-6, in 11 innings

The baseball team beat Wabash (Ind.) College, 7-6, in 11 innings this afternoon to complete the weekend series sweep at Mud Hollow Field in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Fighting Comets (8-4) swept a doubleheader from Wabash (8-8) yesterday.

In today's game, Olivet scored its first run in the third inning on a RBI single by sophomore Nick McIntosh (Petoskey). Junior Stan Cieslak (Troy Avondale) drove in two runs on double down the leftfield line in the fourth inning.

McIntosh plated a run in the seventh inning on a double to right centerfield. Junior Chip Paddock (Galesburg/Augusta) led off the eighth inning with a home run over the right field fence. Junior Drew Benoit (Climax-Scotts) made the score 6-1 with a RBI double later in the eighth inning.

The Little Giants rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Neither team was able to push across a run in the ninth inning. In the 11th inning, McIntosh hit a single to score sophomore Chris Shelhart (Rolling Meadows, Ill./St. Viator). Wabash did not go down quietly, leaving two runners left on the bases in the bottom of the 11th.

For the game, McIntosh was four-for-six with three RBIs. Benoit collected three hits. On the mound, junior Jonathon VanSon (Macomb/Notre Dame, H.W.) picked-up the win after pitching the final three and one-third innings.

Olivet is next in action Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, when it hosts Adrian College to open Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play. The two teams will play a nine-inning game Friday at 3 p.m., and two seven-inning games Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.