Wabash played a three-game series against the Olivet College Comets Saturday and Sunday. The Little Giant bats were as cold as the weather as Wabash lost all three games. Olivet took the Saturday doubleheader 4-1 and 13-4, then returned for a 7-6 win in 11 innings Sunday afternoon.
Walks took away any chances for the Little Giants in game one Saturday. Olivet leadoff hitter Stan Cieslak scored after starting the game with one of five walks earned by the Comets on the afternoon. Another walk led to a run in the second inning, putting Wabash behind 2-0. A home run in third and another run in the fourth proved to be too much for the offense to overcome. Only a solo homer by Jared Bogan (Struthers, OH/Struthers) in sixth kept the Little Giants from being shut out in the contest. Bogan finished the day 2-for-3, adding a single in the fourth to his season totals. Freshman Shane Noble (Sullivan, IN/Sullivan) also picked up two hits, as did senior Danny Schubert (Lebanon, IL/Lebanon).
Senior Bill Goff (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) suffered the loss, pitching three innings while giving up three runs on only one hit.
A six-run seventh inning was the back-breaker for Wabash in game two Saturday. Trailing 3-0, the Little Giants picked up two runs in the bottom of the third when Schubert and Billy King (Peoria, AZ/Peoria HS -- Glendale Comm. College) drew back-to-back walks. Both came home on a two-run double by Bogan to trim the Comets' lead to one. Wabash would get no closer. Olivet added two runs in the fourth and two in the sixth before opening the flood gates in the seventh for the 13-4 victory. Matt Backs (Bedford, IN/Bedford North Lawrence) scored on a Bryan Scheffel (Fairfield, OH/Stephen T. Badin) triple in the bottom of the seventh. Scheffel scored the final run on a sacrifice fly by T.J. Siple (Pittsboro, IN/Tri-West Hendricks).
Travis Moore (Crawfordsville, IN/Crawfordsville) worked 5-1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs. He walked five and struck out seven. Nick Rico (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista) and Mike Schultz (Crown Point, IN/Crown Point) worked in relief in the sixth and seventh innings.
Wabash rallied from a five-run deficit in Sunday's final game of the series to send it to extra innings. Trailing 6-1 in the bottom of the eighth, junior Chris Sides (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) homered to left after David Culp (DeKalb, IL/DeKalb) started the inning with a walk to make it a 6-3 game. Senior Nick George (West Lafayette, IN/Harrison) kept the inning alive with a two-out single. Noble blasted a double over the centerfielder's head to score George.
For the second time in two days, Schubert came up with a huge hit, lacing a double down the right field line to score Noble and set himself up as the game-tying run. Schubert raced home one batter later off an RBI single by Scott Hamilton (Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard) to even the score at 6-6.
But Wabash would give up a run in the top of the 11th to see the Comets leave for Michigan with the series sweep.
Jared Tarney (Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger) took the loss, despite holding Olivet to a run on two hits over three innings. Tarney struck out seven and walked one batter. Freshman Chris Schmaltz (Greenwood, IN/Roncalli) (photo right) went 6-2/3 in the starting effort. He gave up four runs on eight hits while striking out nine. Jon Horne (Cincinnat, OH/St. Xavier) worked an 1-1/3 innings in relief.
Schubert and Sides had three hits in Sunday's contest. Schubert finished the weekend 5-of-10 with a double, two runs scored, and one RBI. Sides was 4-for-8 with two RBIs.
Wabash falls to 8-8 with the three losses. The Little Giants open North Coast Athletic Conference Western Division play Friday afternoon at noon at Mud Hollow Field against Earlham College.
Scott Hamilton tags an Olivet runner out at home.