Baseball Team Sweeps Alma

OLIVET, Mich. -- The Olivet College baseball team swept Alma College today in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association doubleheader. The Fighting Comets won the opener, 12-1, and rallied to win the second game, 4-3, in eight innings.

In the opener, Olivet (8-12, 2-4 MIAA) scored five runs in the first inning, including a grand slam home run by senior Thomas Stowe (Middlefield, Ohio/Cardinal High School). The Comets tallied two, three and two runs in the second-fourth innings, respectively.

Senior Steve Held (Brampton, Ontario/Sainte Augustine) was three for four with two doubles, two runs scored and two runs batted-in. Senior Beau Locker (Coldwater/Union City High School) and juniors Joe Richards (Galesburg/Augusta High School) and Richard Strain (Livonia/Churchill High School) had two hits a piece. Richards and Strain each scored two runs.

On the mound, senior Jacob Marlow (Delton/Kellogg High School) picked up the win as he tossed a complete game, four-hitter.

In the nightcap, senior James Virden (Branch/Mason County Central High School) won the game with a two-out single to left centerfield in the eighth inning to score Stowe, who had walked earlier in the inning. Held forced extra innings with a  home over the centerfield fence in the seventh inning. Virden also had a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and sophomore Matthew Hurley (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada/White Plains) hit a home run to lead off the fourth.

Locker and Virden each had two base hits. Sophomore Russ Kimball (National City/Tawas High School) started the game and pitched the first four and one-third innings, allowing five base hits and two earned runs. Junior D.J. Celetti (Sault Ste. Marie, Canada) tossed the final three and two-thirds innings for the win. He gave up two base hits  and struck out one batter.

Olivet will host Rochester College in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday, April 13 at 1 p.m. Next Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, the Comets will travel to play Calvin College in a MIAA series.