Baseball team suffers 5-4 loss at Calvin
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team rallied to take a 4-3 lead before Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Calvin University scored a run in the bottom of ninth to beat the Comets, 5-4, today at the Calvin Baseball Field.
April 7, 2023
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team rallied to take a 4-3 lead before Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Calvin University scored a run in the bottom of ninth to beat the Comets, 5-4, today at the Calvin Baseball Field.
- Final Score: Calvin 5, Olivet 4
- Location: Calvin Baseball Field; Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Records: Olivet 2-16 overall, 0-4 MIAA; Calvin 10-11 overall, 2-2 MIAA
- The Knights used an RBI-groundout to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
- Olivet went ahead 2-1 with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Junior Ben Helgevold reached on an error, stole second base and scored on senior Sylas Woll's single down the left field line. Woll then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came around to score on junior Gabriel Kirck's sacrifice fly.
- Calvin answered with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to take the lead back, 3-2.
- The Comets used a two-out rally for a two-run sixth inning to go ahead 4-3. After freshman Nate Droste singled, sophomore Alex Rose hit a double to score Droste. Following a pitching change, Helgevold lined a single down the left field line to score plate Rose.
- The Knights tied the game with a run in the seventh inning.
- Olivet left two runners stranded in the eighth. In the ninth inning, the Comets had the bases loaded with one out. Calvin got out of the jam with an infield flyout and a strikeout.
- In the bottom half of the ninth, a double put a runner on base. An intentional walk followed by a single filled the bases. A single up the middle drove in the winning run.
- Olivet finished the game with seven hits, including two for Droste.
- Extra-base hits were doubles by Rose and sophomore Blake Hawkins.
- Kirck had one hit to raise his hit streak to 17 games, the fifth-longest in school history.
- Freshman Bryan Carney threw seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits.
- Sophomore Wyatt Leland was charged with the pitching loss.
- Calvin totaled 11 hits, including two doubles by Patrick Gillen.
- Nate Mason recorded three hits.
- Will Mueller also tallied two hits.
- Gillen and Carson Warners each scored two runs.
- Evan Steinbacher was the fifth and final Calvin pitcher to enter the game, so he was credited with the win.
- The teams wrap-up the MIAA series tomorrow with a doubleheader at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet, starting at 1 p.m.