Baseball team sweeps doubleheader from Tri-State, 6-5 and 4-1

Behind two complete game pitching performances, the Olivet College baseball team swept a doubleheader from Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Tri-State (Ind.) University, 6-5 and 4-1, today in Olivet. Due to poor field conditions in Angola, the doubleheader was played in Olivet, so Tri-State was treated as the home team. With the sweep, the Comets win the weekend series against the Thunder.

Freshman Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak) pitched the first game, as Olivet (4-8, 3-1 MIAA) came-from-behind to win it. In the nightcap, freshman lefty Sean Alexander (Fenton) threw seven strong innings and junior Scott Purdy (Traverse City/West) drove in three runs.

Entering the seventh inning of the first game, the Thunder (7-10, 2-4 MIAA) led 5-1. After two outs were recorded, the Comets exploded for five runs. Senior Michael Katlin (Howell) reached first base on a fielder's choice and freshman Ben Kosmalski (Canton/Plymouth) entered the game to run for him. After a strikeout for the second out, freshman Beau Felix (Fenton/Hartland) ripped a pinch-hit double to deep centerfield to score Kosmalski. Felix moved to third on the throw to the plate.

After a pitching change for Tri-State, sophomore Matt Smoker (Bronson) hit a single through the left-side of the infield to score Felix. Junior Brandon Goodman (Portage/Central) cranked the first pitch he saw over the leftfield fence to tie the score at 5-5. Freshman Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris) kept the rally alive by stroking a single in the left-center alley. On the first pitch to junior Ryan Hodges (Swartz Creek), LaFramboise stole second base. Hodges then hit the next pitch off the left-centerfield fence for a triple, which allowed LaFramboise to cross the plate.

Tri-State still had its chance to score the tying run. Joel Bruskotter had a two-out hit, but he was promptly thrown out trying to steal second base.

At the plate, Goodman and Smoker each had two hits. Smoker scored two runs, while Goodman drove in a pair of runs. On the mound, Beisiegel gave up five earned runs on 10 hits in his seven innings of work.

In the nightcap, Goodman gave the Comets a 1-0 lead, scoring an unearned run in the first inning. He reached base on a Thunder error and scored on a sharply hit RBI-single by Hodges. The Thunder tied the game at 1-1 in the second off a sacrifice fly. Olivet tallied single runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings. All three runs were driven in by Purdy, including one in the seventh on a towering home run over the rightfield fence.

Offensively, Purdy was 3-for-4. Kosmalski had two hits. Alexander gave up just four hits and struck out two. After surrendering the second-inning run, he did not allow a base runner past second base.

The Comets will play Kalamazoo College in their next four-game MIAA series. On Wednesday, April 2, the teams will play a doubleheader at Kalamazoo, beginning at 2 p.m. The doubleheader at Olivet is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m.