Baseball team splits MIAA doubleheader at Albion

ALBION, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a doubleheader against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College today on Champions Stadium at Frank Joranko Field in Albion. The Comets won the first game, 7-5, before the Britons came back to win the nightcap, 18-10.

THE BASICS
Final Scores: Olivet 7, Albion 5; Albion 18, Olivet 10
Location: Frank Joranko Field; Albion, Mich.
Records: Albion 12-11 overall, 5-7 MIAA; Olivet 5-19 overall, 2-10 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• The Comets used six hits to plate four runs in the top half of the first inning. Producing RBI hits in the inning were junior Aiden Holliday, freshman Alex Parthum and freshman Matt Rehfeldt.
• Olivet added another run in the second inning on an RBI-groundout by freshman Aaron Gillespie.
• The Britons made the score 5-4 in the fifth inning on a solo home run and a three-run homer.
• Back-to-back RBI-doubles pushed across two insurance runs for the Comets in the seventh.
• Albion scored one run and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

FOR THE COMETS

• Senior Brady Johnson went the distance on the mound to earn his first win of the season. He gave up five earned runs on eight hits.
• At the plate, Olivet totaled 15 hits.
• Senior Austin Cleaver went 4-for-5 with two singles, a double and a triple.
• Parthum finished with three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI.
• Gillespie, Holliday and senior Andrew Dayfield each had two hits.
• Rehfeldt drove in two runs.

FOR THE BRITONS

• Joe Turnbull topped Albion with two hits and three RBI.
• Five others had one hit apiece.
• Zach Maresh was charged with the pitching loss after surrendering five runs on eight hits in two innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Olivet scored at least one run in each of the first four innings – one in the first, two in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth.
• The Britons had an answer in each half of the inning – two in the first, six in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth – to go up 12-6.
• Albion scored once in the fifth before Olivet pushed across a run in the top half of the sixth.
• The Britons retaliated with four runs in the home half of the sixth and one run in the seventh to extend their lead to 18-7.
• The Comets pushed across their final three runs in the eighth.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet recorded 14 hits.
• Gillespie had four hits, scored three runs and drove in two.
• Junior Colton Dawdy notched three hits and four RBI.
• Holliday suffered the pitching after yielding six earned runs on seven hits in an inning and two-thirds.
• Dayfield got the final out in the second.
• Three relievers – freshmen Huston Snyder and Kyle Till, and junior Joseph Crosby – each threw two ininngs.

FOR THE BRITONS

• Albion rapped 19 hits, including a 4-for-5 performance by Turnbull.
• Shane Lindeman had two hits, scored four runs and drove in two.
• Justin Dennis, Jordyn Finney and Riley Stesiak collected three hits apiece.
• Stesiak had a team-best four RBI.
• Steven Scott picked-up the pitching win in relief of starter Andrew Fabry. Both threw four innings.

UP NEXT

• Olivet now turns its attention to Hope College for a four-game series next week. The opening doubleheader will be played Thursday at Boeve Stadium in Holland, with the final two games Saturday at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. Thursday's first pitch is at 2 p.m., and Saturday's first game is at 1 p.m.