Baseball team ends season with doubleheader split against Kalamazoo

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team ended its season by splitting a doubleheader with Kalamazoo College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex. After losing the first game 6-1, the Comets gained the split with an 9-1 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, the Hornets scored two runs in the first and second innings to take a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Kalamazoo starting pitcher Drew Ordakowski held the Comets without a hit until the sixth when freshman Drew Thompson (Canton/Plymouth) broke up the no-no with a single to leadoff the inning.

Thompson was removed from the bases on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore Jonny Zawacki (Alpena). Junior Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western) reached on an infield single. On the play, the Hornet second baseman threw the ball wild to first, which caused Thompson to get to third base.

Senior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena) hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score Thompson with Olivet's only run. Later in the inning, freshman Peter Panos (Davison) walked to load the bases. Kalamazoo got out of the jam when Panos was forced out a second.

The Hornets added two runs in the seventh. The Comets went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning.

For the game, Olivet was held to three hits and all three were in the sixth inning. Sophomore Jake Ball (Cadillac) was charged with the loss. He allowed the four runs on 10 hits, with two strikeouts. Senior Nick McCleary (Battle Creek/ Harper Creek) threw an inning of relief.

In the nightcap, the Comets pushed across three runs in the first inning. Junior Justin Pitt (Imlay City) walked to lead off the inning. After he stole second, Young walked on four straight pitches. Clark lined the first pitch to him into the left-center gap, which scored Pitt and moved Young to third. Freshman Joey Myers (Holt) blasted a 2-1 pitch deep over the fence in right field for 2-run home run.

Kalamazoo scored once in the top half of the second to make the score 3-1. Olivet had seven straight hits in its half of the second inning to score six runs. Sophomore Andrew Engle (Greenville) hit a single, and senior Tyler Olinske (Negaunee) ripped a double to plate Engle all the way from first.

Pitt hit a single to put runners on the corners. Four consecutive singles from Thompson, Young, Clark and Myers drove in runs. A wild pitch then advanced two runners each up one base. Panos capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

There was no more scoring in the final five innings of the game. Olivet junior pitcher Kyle Fisher (Vermonville/Maple Valley) retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

Offensively, the Comets recorded 13 hits. Pitt went 3-for-4 with one double and two singles. Clark, Engle and Myers each had two hits. Pitt and Young scored two runs apiece, while Myers collected a team-leading three RBI. Fisher gave up just the run on three hits over six innings, while striking out five for his first win in an Olivet uniform. McCleary tossed a scoreless seventh inning.