UOlivet rallies but falls short against Alma, 9-7

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet baseball team rallied but ended up losing to Alma College, 9-7, in the opening game of a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) series against Alma College this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Alma 9, Olivet 7
• Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 7-23 overall, 3-10 MIAA; Alma 16-15 overall, 8-4 MIAA

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The Scots took a 1-0 lead with a run on back-to-back hits by the first two batters of the game. Olivet quickly tied the game when sophomore Jack Friesen blasted a solo home run in the bottom half of the first.
• Alma responded with a two-run homer in the top of the second inning. The Comets got one run back in the home half of the second. With two runners on base, senior Brendan Monroe roped a single into left field to score senior Isaac Moore.
• The Scots extended their lead to 9-2 when they scored two runs in the third, three runs in the fifth and one run in the sixth. Olivet began to mount a comeback in the last part of the sixth inning. Friesen hit a leadoff single and came all the way around to score on sophomore EJ Suggitt's double over the center fielder's head.
• In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Comets pushed across four runners and left the bases loaded. Junior Tyler Duncan had a leadoff single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Suggitt's double. Senior Mason Cook walked. Sophomore Austin Alflen laced a single into center field to score Suggitt. Moore walked to load the bases. A double play still scored Cook from the third base. Monroe walked to put runners on the corners. A dribbler off the bat of junior Nate Droste was ruled an infield single to score Alflen. On the play, the Alma pitcher threw the ball away, which advanced Monroe to third and Droste to second. Friesen walked to fill the bases. A strikeout ended the inning.
• Alma used a single, hit batter and infield bunt single to load the bases in the top of the ninth. The Comets turned a rare 5-2-3 double play to prevent any runners from scoring. Another batter was hit before the next batter flew out to close the inning without any runners crossing the plate. The Scots retired Olivet 1-2-3 in the ninth on three straight ground outs to second base.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet finished the game with nine hits. Suggitt hit two doubles and drove in two runs. Friesen also had two hits and scored two runs. On the mound, freshman Kasey Settles was charged with the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks over the first three innings. Four relief pitchers combined to allow four runs on 12 hits over the final six innings.

UP NEXT

• The Comets and Scots wrap-up the series Monday with a doubleheader at Alma's Klenk Park, beginning at 1 p.m.