Baseball team swept by Hope, 12-9 and 20-6, in MIAA-opener

The Olivet College baseball team was swept by Hope College, 12-9 and 20-6, today in its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. The two teams will complete the four-game series Monday with a doubleheader at Hope's Boeve Field, beginning at 2 p.m.

In game one, the Flying Dutchmen led 7-0 after three innings. Olivet took advantage of two Hope errors to score three unearned runs in the fourth inning. After the Dutchmen scored a run in the fifth, the Comets scored a run in the sixth. Hope pushed across four runs in the top half of the seventh inning, including the final three on a three-run home run.

Sophomore Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) led off Olivet's half of the seventh with a home run. After an out was recorded, four straight Comets reached base. Following the second out, senior Erik McCloud (Holly) laced a two-run single into right field to make the score 12-9. Clark came back to the plate, representing the tying run, but his out ended the Comets' comeback bid.

Offensively, eight of nine Olivet starters had at least one base hit. Junior Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris) led the way with two hits. Junior Jimmy Keenan (Charlotte) along with seniors Matt Smoker (Bronson) and Brad Sullens (Belleville) each scored two runs. Smoker also collected two RBI. On the mound, junior Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak) was the losing pitcher. He threw the first five innings, giving up eight runs on 10 hits.

In the nightcap, Hope took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the second inning. The Comets answered with a four-run third inning. The Flying Dutchmen re-gained the lead at 6-4 with four runs in the fourth. Olivet tied the game at 6-6 on a two-run home run by junior Ben Kosmalski (Canton/Plymouth) in the bottom half of the fourth. From there, Hope scored 14 unanswered runs over the final three innings.

At the plate, Kosmalski, LaFramboise and Smoker had two hits apiece. Kosmalski and Smoker drove in three and two runs, respectively. On the mound, freshman Jay Magro (Bridgman) was the starter and went three and two-third innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits. LaFramboise was charged with the loss.