Green tosses no-hitter in second game

Behind two outstanding pitching performances and an offensive explosion, the softball team posted a pair of shutout victories today at non-league foe Rochester College. In the first game, junior Erica Anderson (Casnovia/Kent City) pitched a two-hitter as the Lady Comets (17-11) beat the Warriors, 5-0. In the nightcap, freshman Kim Green (Portland) tossed a no-hitter and Olivet tallied 17 hits in a 10-0 win.

In the first game, the Comets scored an unearned run in the third inning. Olivet then used a two-out rally in the fifth frame to take a 4-0 lead. Senior Jenn Newland (Tekonsha) started the rally with a triple to the left-centerfield gap. Senior Jill Shufelt (Millington) reached base on a bunt hit. Senior Beth Shunkwiler (Berrien Center/Berrien Springs) ripped a single to score Newland and Shufelt. Senior Lindsey Daniels (Galesburg Augusta) had a hit over the leftfielder's head to score Shunkwiler. The Comets closed the scoring with an unearned run in the seventh.

For the game, Shufelt was three-for-four with two runs scored. Daniels and Newland had two hits each. In the circle, Anderson improved to 10-5 on the season with her complete game performance. She struck out seven Rochester batters.

In the nightcap, Olivet tallied a run in the first and second innings. In the sixth frame, the Comets sent 14 batters to the plate, had 10 hits and scored eight runs. The game ended after six innings because of the NCAA eight-run mercy rule.

At the plate, all except one Olivet starter had at least one base hit with Newland and sophomore Katelan Schoen (Climax-Scotts) collecting three hits apiece. Schoen also drove in a team-high three RBIs. Daniels, Shufelt and freshman Jessica Schmansky (Clarkston/Waterford Our Lady of Lakes) had two base hits each.

In the circle, Green struck out two batters. Her no-hitter is the ninth in school history and the second in the last week. Anderson pitched a no-hitter April 12 against Kalamazoo College.

Olivet will resume Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play Saturday, April 23, when it hosts Tri-State (Ind.) University. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.