Baseball team ends season with two heartbreaking losses against Adrian, 5-3 and 5-4

The Olivet College baseball team ended its season with two heartbreaking losses to Adrian College today in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. The Bulldogs won the opener, 5-3 and then won the second game, 5-4.

In the first game, the Comets scored a pair of runs in the first inning after two outs were recorded. After seniors Brandon Goodman (Portage/Portage Central) and Scott Purdy (Traverse City/West) reached base on singles, junior Erik McCloud (Holly) brought them home with a double to shallow centerfield. Adrian came right back and took a 4-2 lead with a four-run second inning. The Bulldogs added an insurance run on a solo home run in the seventh.

Olivet started a rally in the seventh inning. Sophomore Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris) and senior Ryan Hodges (Swartz Creek) started the inning with back-to-back infield hits. After two outs, Purdy laced a hit down the right field line, scoring LaFramboise and moving Hodges to third. On the play, Purdy was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double.

For the game, Purdy and senior Rob Swanson (Marshall) each had two hits. Purdy's RBI gave him 45 for the season, which is the second-best total in school history and one shy of the record. On the mound, McCloud suffered the loss. He allowed five runs off 10 hits, while striking out six and not walking a batter.

In the second game, Adrian scored an unearned run in the second. The first six Comets reached base and scored four runs in the bottom half of the third. Freshman Tyler Olinske (Negaunee) ripped a double. Junior Brad Sullens (Belleville) traded places with his own run-scoring double. A single up the middle by sophomore Phil Sullens (Belleville) put runners on the corners. Hodges was a hit by a pitch to load the bases. Swanson hit a single through the right-side of the infield, scoring Brad Sullens, while a single through the left-side of the infield by Goodman scored Phil Sullens. A passed ball scored Hodges with the fourth run of the inning.

The score remained 4-1 until the seventh inning. Two hits and a flyout put a runner at first and third base. A wild pitch scored the first run. A hit batter put the tying run on base, and another wild pitch advanced them into scoring position. Alex Cowart cleared the bases with a home run. Olivet had the tying run on base in the seventh, but a groundout ended the game.

Each team finished with seven hits. Goodman led the Comets with two hits. Five others each had a hit. On the mound, sophomore Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak) started and went six plus innings. He gave three runs, two earned, off five hits. In relief, junior Josh Norlock (Warren/Centerline) was the losing pitcher.

The Comets end the 2009 season with a 19-21 overall record and finish in a tie for third-place in the MIAA standings with a 15-13 record. Olivet tied Hope, however, Olivet three-of-four games against Hope during the season.