Baseball team splits doubleheader at Hope

The Olivet College baseball team split a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader against Hope College this afternoon at Boeve Field in Holland. The Comets won the first game, 9-3, and lost the nightcap, 5-4 in 10 innings.

Junior Ryan Hodges (Swartz Creek) led off the first game with a solo home run. Freshman Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris) then reached base on an error by the Hope third baseman. He came around to score on a groundout by senior Michael Katlin (Howell).

Hodges singled to start the third inning and scored on a single by Katlin. The Flying Dutchmen got one run back in their half of the third inning.

Olivet answered by sending 11 batters to the dish and scoring six runs, including five after two outs were recorded, in the top half of the fourth inning. Senior Eric Quinn (Port Huron/Northern) hit a leadoff home run. Two outs were in the books and Hodges kept the inning alive with a double. LaFramboise laced a single to bring home Hodges. LaFramboise stole second base and scored on a single by junior Brandon Goodman (Portage/Central). Before junior Scott Purdy (Traverse City/West) walked, Goodman stole second base. Katlin singled to score Goodman and move Purdy to second.

After a pitching change, sophomore Matt Smoker (Bronson) scored Purdy with a RBI-single. Quinn then hit a single, plating Katlin with the sixth and final run of the inning. Hope scored a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.

For the game, Hodges was 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Katlin had two hits and drove in three runs. Quinn went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI. On the mound, freshman Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak) pitched a complete game, eight-hitter.

In the nightcap, the Comets took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the first inning. Freshman Ben Kosmalski (Canton/Plymouth) walked, went to third on a single by Goodman and scored on a groundout by Purdy. Hope took a 3-1 run lead with a run in the first, second and third innings.

Olivet forced extra innings with a two-run sixth inning. After Kosmalski singled and Goodman reached base on an error by the Hope left fielder, Katlin hit a two-run double to score them. The Dutchmen had a chance to win the game in the seventh, but the winning run was thrown out at the plate.

The teams traded runs in the eighth inning. Smoker drove in Purdy, who hit a two-out double. Hope answered with a run in the bottom half of the eighth. Both teams got a runner to second base in the ninth, but neither team was able to bring in the runner. Olivet went down in order in the 10th inning. The Dutchmen half of the 10th featured a leadoff single, followed by a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second, an intentional walk, a flyout to advance the runner to third and then the game-winning single.

Katlin and Smoker finished the game with two hits apiece. Katlin had two doubles, while Smoker had two singles. Kosmalski scored two runs. Katlin started on the mound and went four innings, allowing three runs on five hits. In relief, LaFramboise pitched three and one-thirds and gave up one run on four hits. Sophomore Josh Norlock (Warren/Center Line) was the losing pitcher.

The Comets (16-22, 14-12 MIAA) will wrap-up their season tomorrow when Hope (14-24, 12-14 MIAA) visits the Cutler Athletic Complex for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. With at least a split against the Dutchmen, Olivet will secure third-place in the final MIAA standings.