Softball team splits pair of walk-off wins against Kalamazoo
The Olivet College softball team split a pair of walk-off wins against Kalamazoo College this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. In the first game, freshman Amanda George hit a single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Comets a 2-1 win. The Hornets had the walk-off hit in the ninth inning to win the nightcap, 6-5.
OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College softball team split a pair of walk-off wins against Kalamazoo College this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. In the first game, freshman Amanda George hit a single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Comets a 2-1 win. The Hornets had the walk-off hit in the ninth inning to win the nightcap, 6-5.
Olivet manufactured a run in the first inning of game one. Freshman Lorren Springer doubled to lead off the inning, went to third on a groundout by junior Lauren Lenard and scored on a groundout by senior Marlene Packer. The Hornets evened the score with a run in the second inning.
The game then became a pitcher's duel between Olivet sophomore Jessica Duell and Kalamazoo's Taylor Clements for the next four innings. After one out was recorded in the seventh, senior Ciara Santos hit a single to the right-center field gap. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Lindsey Maas. George then lined a 1-0 pitch into left field, scoring Santos with the winning run.
The Comets had just four hits in the game, one each for George, Santos, Springer and senior Alison Iuelle. Duell needed 93 pitches to gain the complete game pitching victory. She gave up the one run on seven hits.
In the nightcap, Olivet jumped out to a 2-0 in the top half of the first inning on a two-run double by Maas. Kalamazoo leveled the score at 2-2 with single tallies in the last half of the first and third innings. The Comets grabbed a 5-2 lead with three runs in the fifth when Iuelle hit a two-run home run and George hit an RBI-double.
The Hornets pushed across one run in the fifth and then sent the game to extra innings with two runs in the seventh. Olivet left the go-ahead run stranded on third base in the top half of the ninth. Kalamazoo used two straight singles, a sac bunt and a single to score the winning.
For the game, the Comets recorded 13 hits. Playing in her final home, Maas went 3-for-5 with two singles, one double and two RBI. Iuelle had two hits with two RBI and two runs scored. Lenard and Santos also had two hits apiece. Freshman Maddie Siebenmark was the losing pitcher, allowing the six runs on 15 hits.
Olivet is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Defiance (Ohio) College Tuesday afternoon, starting at 3:30 p.m.