Baseball team begins 2006 season with two losses to Hiram (Ohio), 9-8 and 4-3

The Olivet College baseball team began its 2006 season with a pair of one-run losses to Hiram (Ohio) College at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. In the first game, the Comets dropped a 9-8 decision and in the nightcap, they fell, 4-3.

In the first game, Olivet had a 7-3 lead entering the top of the seventh inning. The Terriers tallied six runs to take a 9-7 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Comets scored one run and had the bases loaded with one out. A botched suicide squeeze ended their threat.

At the plate, seniors Drew Benoit (Climax-Scotts) and Jonathon Van Son (Macomb/H.W. Notre Dame) had two hits apiece. Van Son hit a solo home run. Senior Stan Cieslak (Troy/Avondale) scored three runs, while junior Nick McIntosh (Petoskey) drove in two runs.

On the mound, sophomore Adam Bassett (Bellevue) started and pitched five innings. He allowed six hits and three runs. In relief, junior Derek Ott (Kawkawlin/Bay City Western) was tagged with the loss. He tossed one and one-third innings, giving up five hits and six runs.

In the nightcap, Hiram jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. After Olivet tied the game in the second, the Terriers grabbed the lead back with two runs in the third. The Comets knotted the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Hiram won the game on a two-out single in the bottom half of the seventh frame.

Olivet ended the game with four hits. The only extra base hit was a double by McIntosh. Freshman Mark Sherrod (Jackson) suffered the loss on the mound. He pitched two-thirds of an innings, allowing a hit and three walks.

The Comets continue their spring break trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Bluffton (Ohio) College, beginning at 4 p.m.