Baseball team swept by Hope, 12-7 and 18-2

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team was swept by Hope College, 12-7 and 18-2, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) twinbill this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

THE BASICS
Final Scores: Hope 12, Olivet 7; Hope 18, Olivet
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Hope 17-9 overall, 10-6 MIAA; Olivet 5-23 overall, 2-14 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• After the Flying Dutch scored a run in the top half of the first, the Comets answered with two runs in their half of the first. Senior Austin Cleaver tripled to lead off the inning and scored on freshman Aaron Gillespie's double. Later in the inning, junior Colton Dawdy scored on an RBI-single by sophomore Gary Tompkins III.
• Olivet manufactured a run in the second frame. Freshman Alex Parthum had a leadoff single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Cleaver's single.
• Hope got that run back in the third inning.
• The Comets responded with a three spot in the home half of the third. Tompkins III drove home with Gillespie with the first run. Parthum then lined a double in the right-center field gap to plate Dawdy and junior Connor Murney.
• The Flying Dutch came right back with three runs in the top part of the fourth.
• Olivet made the score 7-5 with a single tally in the bottom half of the fourth.
• Hope scored seven unanswered runs – five in the fifth and two in the sixth– to win the game, 12-7.

FOR THE COMETS

• Gillespie and Parthum each had three hits in four plate appearances, with a double and two singles.
• Gillespie, Tompkins III and Parthum drove in two runs apiece. 
• Junior Brady Johnson started on the mound but did not factor in the decision. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits in three and two-thirds innings.
• Freshman Brett Tyndall threw two-thirds of an inning, yielding two runs on two hits.
• Sophomore Austin Hickey was credited with the loss after allowing three runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.
• Junior Micahel O'Brien tossed the final two and one-third innings.

FOR THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

• All nine starters had at least one hit.
• Mason Opple, Tanner Gilmore and Nick Lepore each had two.
• Landon Brower collected a team-best three RBI.
• Connor Grimes earned the pitching win in relief of starter Nick Holt.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Hope pushed across three runs in the top half of the second.
• The Flying Dutch doubled their lead with three unearned runs in the third.
• Olivet scored its first run in the fourth inning when Dawdy doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by junior Aiden Holliday.
• Hope broke the game open with a nine-run fifth inning.
• Both teams scored a run in the seventh inning. For the Comets, junior Travis Petts legged out a triple and came around to score on senior Andrew Dayfield's double.
• The Flying Dutch capped their scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth.

FOR THE COMETS

• Six different players had a base hit.
• On the mound, Holliday was charged with the loss after giving up 11 runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in four and one-third innings.
• Junior Cam Hendrickson, and freshmen Huston Snyder, Brandon Bode and Kyle Till all threw in relief.

FOR THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

• Hope totaled 20 hits in the game, as all nine starters recorded a hit and scored a run.
• Gilmore, JP Batts and Trace Slancik each collected three hits.
• Brower, Batts and Slanick scored three runs apiece.
• Lepore drove in a team-best three runs.
• Connor Jackson pitched the first seven innings to pick-up the win. He allowed a pair of runs on four hits, while striking out seven and walking only one.

UP NEXT

• The Comets return to the diamond next Saturday when they host Kalamazoo College for a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.