GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University baseball team opened conference play with a doubleheader split against The University of Olivet at home on Thursday.
 
Calvin (8-10, 1-1 MIAA) won the opening seven-inning game 5-0 before dropping game two to Olivet (5-14, 1-1 MIAA) 7-4.
 
Game 1
 
Calvin starting pitcher Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) pitched his first career complete game and shutout to lead the Knights to a 5-0 win in game one in a seven-inning game that took less than 90 minutes.
 
Coil (3-1) was dominant from his first pitch through his last, allowing only four hits and striking out six while walking one batter in seven innings to improve to 3-1 on the season.
 
The Knights jumped in front early with two runs in the first inning on an RBI-single from Cam Seth (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/GRCC) that was followed by an RBI-groundout by Matt Reynolds (Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins) to give Calvin a 2-0 lead.
 
Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) added to the lead in the fifth inning with an RBI double, and Ryan Schummer (West Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic) helped put the game away with a solo home run in the sixth before Nathaniel Graham (Lake Odessa, Mich./Lakewood/Kalamazoo Valley CC) finished the scoring with an RBI-single for his third hit of the game.
 
Coil breezed through the Comet line-up for much of the day, with his only trouble spot coming in the fifth when Olivet loaded the bases with no outs before Coil induced a 5-2-3 double play and then struck out the next batter to keep the Comets scoreless.
 
Graham led the Knights with three hits, including a triple to go with two singles. Bonemer finished with a double and triple.
 
Game 2
 
Calvin started strong but could not hold off the Comets in the final innings as Olivet won game two 7-4.
 
The Knights scored in each of the first four innings to take a 4-2 lead after four innings, but the Comets answered with one run in the fifth, one in the seventh to tie the game, and then three more in the eighth inning to take the lead and complete the come-from-behind win.
 
Bonemer led off the scoring in the first inning on a wild pitch and drove in the Knights' fourth run on an RBI-single in the fourth inning. Noah Swope (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) added a second inning RBI-single, and Seth drove in the other Calvin run in the third inning with an RBI-double.
 
James Ross (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) started the game for Calvin and pitched the first six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out six.
 
Ethan DeBlecourt (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/Spring Arbor) entered in relief in the seventh inning and allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in 1.2 innings to fall to 1-2 on the season.
 
Bonemer, Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) and Graham each finished with two hits apiece for Calvin to lead the offense.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action tomorrow (Friday, March 28) when it plays at Olivet in the third and final game of the weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM.