Baseball wins game two to salvage doubleheader split with Albion

ALBION, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader with Albion College today at Frank Joranko Field in Albion. The Britons won the first game 2-0 before the Comets salvaged the split with an 8-7 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, Albion scored a run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly and another run in the fifth on an RBI-single. Olivet left the tying runs stranded on the bases in the seventh inning.

Overall, the Comets had only three hits. Freshman Peter Panos (Davison) was 2-for-3 with two singles. Junior Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western) had the third hit. On the mound, sophomore Jake Ball (Cadillac) was the losing pitcher. He scattered eight hits over his six innings of work.

In the nightcap, Albion plated two runs in the top of the first. The Britons added another run in the second inning to go up 3-0. Olivet dented the scoreboard for the first time in the doubleheader with a four-run third. The big hit in the inning was a two-run single by Young. Albion tied the game with a run in the home half of the third inning.

The score stayed 4-4 until the sixth inning when the Comets pushed across two runs on RBI-singles by senior Tyler Olinske (Negaunee) and freshman Tom Kort (New Hudson/South Lyon). Olivet added two insurance runs in the seventh. With two outs, junior Andrew Brawley (Niles) hit a single. Sophomore Anthony Luciano (Metamora/Oxford) came in the game as a pinch runner and scored from first on a double by senior Austin Clark (Ossineke/Alpena). Clark then scored on a RBI-single by Panos.

The Britons had their own two-out rally in the bottom half of the seventh. Albion scratched across three runs before the tying run was thrown out at the plate on an outfield assist from freshman Drew Thompson (Canton/Plymouth).

For the game, Olivet had 13 total base hits, including three for Brawley. Kort, Olinske and Panos each had two. Four others recorded one hit apiece.

Junior Kyle Fisher (Vermontville/Maple Valley) started on the mound and allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits in three innings but did not factor in decision. Freshman David Hernandez (Lansing/Eastern) earned the win, as he threw three scoreless innings of relief. Junior Justin Pitt (Imlay City) pitched the seventh inning.

The Comets will step away from conference play Wednesday when they play a nine-inning game at Oakland University. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.