Baseball team sweeps MIAA rival Albion, 2-1 and 4-2

Behind strong pitching performances, the Olivet College baseball team swept a doubleheader, 3-2 and 4-2, from Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College this afternoon at Frank Joranko Field in Albion. With today's wins, the Fighting Comets (21-13, 10-8 MIAA) complete their first MIAA three-game series sweep of the 2005 season.

Junior Jonathon VanSon (Macomb/Notre Dame, H.W) went the distance in the first game and allowed three hits while striking out two. In the nightcap, freshman Adam Bassett (Bellevue) started and pitched four and one-third innings to pick-up the win. He improves to 7-2 on the season. In relief, senior Dustin Bolt (St. Joseph) finished the game and earned the save. He did not allow a hit and struck out two.

In the first game, Olivet jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the second inning. Junior Drew Benoit (Climax-Scotts) reached on a fielder's choice to score junior Chip Paddock (Galesburg-Augusta) from third base. The Britons (15-21, 9-9 MIAA) tied the game with a run in the fourth inning.

Olivet answered by scoring scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the fifth inning. Sophomore Chris Shelhart (Rolling Meadows, Ill./St. Viator) singled up the middle, stole second base and scored on an Albion throwing error.

For the game, Paddock was two-for-three. Benoit, Shelhart and Eddie Jones (Warren/St. Clement) had a hit apiece.

In the nightcap, the Britons jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the third inning. The Comets responded with a pair of runs in the fourth frame. With the bases loaded, VanSon put down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt as sophomore Derek Ott (Kawkawlin/Bay City Western) scored from third base and Shelhart hustled around to score from second base.

After the Britons knotted the game at 2-2 with a run their half of the fourth, Olivet grabbed the lead back on a RBI-single by Shelhart. The RBI was his 43rd of 2005, which breaks the college's single-season record. The Comets added an insurance run in the seventh inning on another perfectly executed squeeze bunt, this time by Ott.

The Comets will conclude the 2005 regular season next Friday and Saturday, May 6-7 when they host Hope College for a MIAA series. Friday's nine-inning game will start at 4 p.m., followed by two seven-inning games Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.