Baseball team takes two from Finlandia, 5-3 and 14-4

Behind solid pitching and timely hitting, the baseball team swept Finlandia University, 5-3 and 14-4, today in a non-league doubleheader in Olivet.

In the first game, the leadoff batter for Finlandia (0-16) hit a home run. The Fighting Comets answered with two runs in their half of the first inning. A double by sophomore Nick McIntosh (Petoskey) plated senior Ben Thomas (Kalamazoo Comstock), who led off the inning with a double. A single by junior James Melvin (Redford-Thurston) scored McIntosh.

Olivet (14-10) added another run in the third inning when Chris Shelhart blasted a home run over the leftfield fence. He now has 10 home runs this season to tie the school record. After the Lions roared back with two runs in the fifth frame, the Comets tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning.

At the plate, Thomas was two-for-four with two doubles. Four different Olivet players had a RBI and five different players scored a run. Junior Blake Dunseth (Olivet/Coldwater) picked-up the win, pitching 4.2 innings. He allowed five hits and three earned runs. Sophomore Brian Schaeffer (Mason) pitched the seventh inning to earn his second save in as many days.

In the nightcap, Olivet tallied four runs in first inning, five runs in the second inning and two runs in the third inning to take a commanding 11-0 lead. The Comets matched Finlandia's three-run fifth inning with their own three-run sixth inning.

For the game, Melvin was four-for-four with three runs scored. Junior Chip Paddock (Galesburg-Augusta) also had a perfect day, going three-for-three with two doubles and three runs scored. Junior Drew Benoit (Climax-Scotts) collected a team-high three RBIs. Other extra base hits were doubles by junior Eddie Jones (Warren/St. Clement) and freshman Gregory Ratliff (Commerce Twp./Walled Lake Central). On the mound, senior Dustin Bolt (St. Joseph) allowed two base hits in four innings to gain the victory. He also struck out seven batters.

Olivet is next in action Wednesday, April 13, when it hosts Aquinas College for a non-conference game at 1 p.m. A junior varsity game will be played after the varsity game.