Baseball team splits home doubleheader with Kalamazoo
The Olivet College baseball team split a home doubleheader against Kalamazoo College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. Behind a complete game pitching performance by junior Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak), the Comets won the opener, 5-3. The Hornets had 21 hits en route to a 16-6 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, Kalamazoo scored single tallies in the first and second innings. Olivet used a two-out rally to push across a run in the home half of the second. Sophomore Tyler Olinske (Negaunee) singled up the middle, went to second on junior Brad Sullens' (Belleville) ground-rule double and scored on a wild pitch.
The Comets then sent nine batters to dish and scored four runs in the fourth. Olinske and Sullens led off the inning with back-to-back singles. A bunt advanced each a base. A sacrifice fly by junior Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris) scored Olinske. Junior Ben Kosmalski (Canton/Plymouth) followed with a double, scoring Sullens.
Senior Erik McCloud (Holly) hit a single to plate Kosmalski. On the throw to the plate, McCloud went to second. A throwing error on a batted ball by sophomore Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) allowed McCloud to score. Kalamazoo scored an unearned run in the fifth. The Hornets had the tying runs on base in the seventh with nobody out, but a double play and pop out ended their threat.
For the game, Olivet collected nine hits, as Kosmalski, McCloud, Olinske and Sullens had two hits apiece. Olinske had a pair of singles, while the other three each had a double and single. Olinske scored twice. Beisiegel allowed one earned run on six hits, while striking out three, to improve to 2-1 on the season.
In the nightcap, Kalamazoo pushed across two runs in the top half of the first. Olivet answered with a run on McCloud's sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the first. The Hornets then erupted for seven runs in the second. The Comets got three runs back in the home half of the second. LaFramboise had a RBI-single, and Kosmalski hit a two-run double.
Kalamazoo extended its lead to 11-4 with a pair of runs in the fourth. After Olivet scored a run in its half of the fourth, the Hornets put the game away with three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh. The Comets' final run in the seventh was on junior Beau Felix's (Hartland) first collegiate home run.
At the top of the Olivet lineup, LaFramboise and Kosmalski each went 3-for-4 at the plate. LaFramboise scored two runs, while Kosmalski drove in three runs. Six other starters had a hit apiece. On the mound, freshman Jay Magro (Bridgman) suffered the loss. He lasted one and two-thirds innings, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits. Freshmen Ryan Pitt (Imlay City) and Devon Doxey (Climax/Climax-Scotts) pitched in relief.
The teams will complete the four-game league series Saturday in Kalamazoo. Game one of the doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start.