Baseball: Olivet defeated by Hope in home doubleheader
April 13, 2024
OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet baseball team fell to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Hope College in a doubleheader this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex. The Flying Dutchmen won the opener, 12-0, in seven innings before rallying to win the nightcap, 16-9.
- Final Scores: Hope 12, Olivet 0 (7); Hope 16, Olivet 9
- Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
- Records: Olivet 7-20 overall, 1-8 MIAA; Hope 14-12 overall, 8-2 MIAA
- Hope scored at least one run in five of the seven innings, putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard in four of them.
- Olivet was held to five hits, a single each for Matthew Fennell, Jack Friesen, Austin Alflen, Mason Cook and Mikey Kuzara.
- Nate Droste was tagged with the pitching loss after yielding eight runs on 13 hits over the first six innings.
- Logan Lewis pitched an inning of relief and gave up four runs on two hits.
- After Hope scored six runs in the top of the third inning, the Comets answered with four runs in the home half of the third. The big hit of the inning was a two-run home run by Gabriel Kirck.
- The Flying Dutchmen plated one run in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 7-4.
- Olivet took advantage of two errors to push across four runs in the last half of the sixth inning.
- Hope wasted no time in responding, as it scored four runs in the seventh inning to go back ahead 11-8.
- The Flying Dutchmen added five insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
- The Comets plated their final runs in the bottom of the ninth.
- Olivet totaled seven hits.
- Recording a multi-hit game were Friesen and Kirck.
- Owen Smith scored two runs.
- Kirck and Braden Abbott each drove in two runs.
- Keegan Kuha started on the mound but did not factor in the pitching decision after allowing seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits over five innings.
- Tyson Carter suffered the loss, as he surrendered four runs (zero earned) on two hits over two innings.
- The Comets finish the three-game series against Hope with a nine-inning game next Monday, April 15, at Boeve Field in Holland. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.