Baseball team falls to Alma, 5-2

The baseball team fell to Alma College, 5-2, today in the first game of a three-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) series in Olivet. The teams will play a doubleheader, two seven-inning games, tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.

The game was scoreless after three innings of play. The Scots (4-5, 4-3 MIAA) tallied one run in the fourth and fifth innings, two runs in the sixth inning and one run in the seventh to take a 5-0 lead. The two Fighting Comets' (10-10, 2-5 MIAA) runs came in the bottom of the seventh.

Sophomore Nick McIntosh (Petoskey) walked to lead off the inning. He moved to second on a groundout. With two outs, junior Chip Paddock (Galesburg-Augusta) hit a ground-rule double to score McIntosh. A single by senior Ben Thomas (Kalamazoo Comstock) scored McIntosh from second base.

Offensively, Olivet was limited to six base hits. In addition to Paddock's double, junior Stan Cieslak (Troy Avondale) also had a double. Four other players each hit singles. On the mound, junior Jonathon VanSon (Macomb/Notre Dame, H.W.) made his first start for the Comets and pitched five and one-third innings. He allowed five hits and five runs (two earned) while striking out seven Alma batters.

Sophomore Brad Dragicevich (Kalamazoo/Central), junior Blake Dunseth (Olivet/Coldwater) and sophomore Brian Schaeffer (Mason) pitched in relief. The trio combined to give up just two base hits.

After tomorrow's doubleheader, Olivet will host Finlandia University Sunday afternoon. The first pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.