Box Score ALMA, Mich. – The Alma College baseball team hosted the Olivet College Comets in their final regular season home game of the year on Sunday, May 7th at Klenk Park. The Scots also honored their four seniors for Senior Day before the game as they will be moving on from collegiate baseball after this postseason. The Scots hung around all day but were ultimately defeated by the Comets by the final score of 10-9.
Olivet took an early lead in the top of the first after sending four across homeplate to start the game. Alma put up a quick response in the bottom of the first as Kevin Tuttle and Avery Carnicom both wore pitches and took their bases. Cole Grunwald got the first hit of the game for the Scots with a single to load the bases. Jake Cornamn stepped into the box with no outs and the bases loaded in which he scored one run after grounding into a double play, but still allowing for Tuttle to score, bringing the score to 4-1.
The Comets extended their lead in the top of the fourth plating two additional runs to take a 6-5 lead. Again, the Scots responded quick with runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Wyatt Nyswaner led the inning off with a double down the left field line along with Padyn Kesselring reaching fist after a walk. Nyswaner ended up stealing third before Dalton D'Alexander doubled down the left field line which sent Kesselring to third and Nyswaner across home. Mitch Foley also would reach first on a walk, putting runners on the corners. Mitch Foley collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly to center field as Kesselring tagged up and ran the final 90 feet to homeplate, bringing the Scots within three. Carnicom brought the Scots within one with a double to left center as both Foley and D'Alexander scored, making the score at the end of the fourth, 6-5.
Alma tied the game in the seventh, starting with Nyswaner and Kesselring both reaching base on walks. Cameron Bleasdale singled to right center and advanced to second on an error, sending Kesselring to third and pinch runner Preston Schroyer home, bringing the game to 6-6. In the eighth, the Comet sent across four more runs to again take the lead, sending the Scots into desperation mode as they trailed by four with six outs remaining. In the bottom of the eighth, Tuttle reached first on an HBP and Grunwald used his patience for a walk. Stephen McGlade batted the first Alma run of the inning in with a single to right center as Tuttle rounded third to cross homeplate. Kyler Warren added another RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field as Grunwald tagged up at third and brought the Scots within two. Kesselring continued his good day at the plate with a single down the right field line which put runners on the corners with two outs. Bleasdale sent the ball down the left field line for a single, McGlade scored and again the Scots were within one. Alma would not be able to record the last run they needed to tie the game in the ninth and the Scots would drop their final regular season game, though it had no effect in their MIAA Tournament standing as they had already locked up the two seed.
Zac Olesuk started the game on the mound for the Scots and recorded two strikeouts before Brendan McManus came in as relief and also recorded two strikeouts. Caden Fournier and ken Fistler both saw action on Sunday as they each recorded a strikeout. Blake Stone recorded a game-high five strikeouts in just under three innings pitched, rounding out the pitching staff for Alma on the day.
The Scots will now begin postseason play in the MIAA Tournament which will be announced shortly.
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Story Credit: Eli Pinter, Sports Information Intern
