Baseball team loses twice to Hope, 2-1 and 6-0
The baseball team lost twice to Hope, 2-1 and 6-0, in its home-opener today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.
OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team lost twice to Hope College, 2-1 and 6-0, in its home-opener today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet. With the losses, Olivet and Hope split the four-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) series since the Comets took two games from Hope March 26 in Holland.
In the opener, the Flying Dutchmen scored a run in the second inning. Olivet evened the score at 1-1 with a run in the bottom half of the third inning. Senior Jimmy Keenan (Charlotte) singled to lead off the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a single by senior Braydon LaFramboise (Flushing/Mt. Morris). Senior Ben Kosmalski (Canton/Plymouth) beat a potential double play on a ball hit to the shortstop, which scored Keenan.
Hope pushed across what proved to be the winning run in the fifth inning. The Comets had a chance to tie the game or take the lead in the sixth inning with runners on first and third base with nobody out. Three strikeouts ended their scoring threat.
Offensively, Olivet had seven hits. Sophomore Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western) went 2-for-3 at the plate. Junior Tyler Olinske (Negaunee) had two sacrifice bunts and a hit in his third plate appearance.
On the mound, junior Lee Cline (Mt. Morris) was the hard luck loser, as he allowed just two base hits in five innings. Junior Aaron Campbell (Lansing/Waverly) and LaFramboise combined to throw two hitless and scoreless innings of relief.
In the nightcap, the Flying Dutchmen scored six runs off just three hits, as they took advantage of four Olivet errors. Overall, the Comets out-hit Hope, 7-6. Kosmalski was 3-for-4. Keenan and junior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) each had two hits.
Making his first start of the season, senior Brad Beisiegel (Royal Oak) threw five innings and gave up three unearned runs on three hits, while striking out four batters. Sophomore Nick McCleary (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) allowed two runs on one hit in an inning of relief. Freshman Jake Ball (Cadillac) tossed the seventh inning and yielded one run on two hits.
Olivet will play its next MIAA series against Kalamazoo College. The first two games will be played at Kalamazoo on Thursday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m., and the final two games will be at Olivet on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.