Baseball team splits Sunday doubleheader at Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader against Kalamazoo College this afternoon at Woodworth Field. The Comets hung on to win the first game, 15-11, before the Hornets salvaged the split with a 6-2 win in the nightcap.

Final Scores: Olivet 15, Kalamazoo 11; Kalamazoo 6, Olivet 2
Location: Woodworth Field; Kalamazoo, Michigan
Records: Olivet 6-22 overall, 4-12 MIAA; Kalamazoo 19-7 overall, 9-7 MIAA

• The Comets took a 1-0 lead when junior Ben Compton lined a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field.
• Olivet extended pushed across six runs in the second inning. Highlighting the inning were a two-run triple by freshman Matthew Fennell, RBI-single by junior Matt Hewitt, RBI-double by senior Matt Fisher and sacrifice fly by Compton.
• The Hornets trimmed their deficit to four runs, 7-3, after scratching across a single run in the second and two runs in the third inning.
• The Comets were able to get two of the runs back to increase their lead to 9-3 with a pair of runs in the fourth inning.
• Kalamazoo manufactured a pair of runs in its half of the fourth inning.
• In the fifth inning, Fennell laced a two-run triple and Hewitt hit a sacrifice fly to push Olivet's lead back to seven runs, 12-5.
• The Comets added their final three runs in the sixth inning. The final two runs were scored on Fennell's third two-run triple of the game.
• The Hornets plated six runs in the seventh inning to create the final 15-11 score.

• Fennell went 3-for-4 with three triples, three runs scored and six RBI.
• Fisher also had three hits, a double and two singles, drove in two runs and scored two runs.
• Compton was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
• On the mound, junior Hunter Henson earned the win. He pitched into the seventh inning, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits.
• Junior Brendan Redding got the final three outs despite giving up four runs (one earned) on four hits.

• The Hornets totaled 10 hits.
• Spencer Baldwin collected three hits from the cleanup spotter in the lineup.
• Doug Propson and Amani Karim each had two hits.
• Alex Bowden suffered the pitching loss after surrendering five runs (four earned) on two hits over the first inning and one-third.
• Three relief pitchers combined to toss the final five and two-thirds innings, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits.

• The Comets wasted no time in taking a 2-0 lead. Hewitt and Fisher led off the game with back-to-back hits. After a successful double steal, Hewitt scored on a wild pitch and Fisher went to third base. Following an out, sophomore Sylas Woll hit a sacrifice fly to score Fisher.
• In the third inning, Kalamazoo used two walks and hit batter to load the bases before a sacrifice fly and two-run single to take a 3-2 lead.
• Freshman Gabriel Kirck hit a one-out double in the sixth inning but two strikeouts ended Olivet's scoring chance.
• The Hornets had a two-out rally to plate three insurance runs in the bottom of sixth on a two-run home run and run-scoring single.

• Olivet was limited to five hits, including a pair of singles from Hewitt out of the leadoff spot in the lineup.
• Three other players each had one hit.
• Freshman Keegan Kuha was the losing pitcher after yielding three runs on one hit and three walks over the first three innings.
• Freshman Alex Curry tossed the final three innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.

• Harrison Poeszat recorded two hits.
• Seven other players had one hit apiece.
• Propson hit the sixth-inning home run.
• Baldwin also drove in two runs.
• On the mound, Adam Dorstewitz started and went four and one-third innings to earn the win, and Propson picked-up the save after throwing the final two and two-thirds. The two pitchers combined to strikeout 11 batters.

• Fennell's three triples in game one ties for the third-most for a single game in NCAA Division III history. The record is four by Mike Czarnecki (University of Dubuque) and Mike Sokoloski (Westfield State). Fennell is the 14th player in NCAA DIII history to have three triples in a game.

• Olivet faces Adrian for its next MIAA series. The first two games are next Friday, May 30, at Nicolay Field in Adrian, and the final two games are Monday, May 3, at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. The Friday doubleheader starts at 4 p.m., and the Monday doubleheader gets under way at 2 p.m.