OLIVET, Mich. - Today the Calvin softball team made the trip to Olivet, Michigan where it picked up the dominant sweep over the Comets. After today the Knights improved to a 19-11 overall record and a 7-3 MIAA record while Olivet fell to 1-17 overall and 0-8 in MIAA play.

GAME ONE
CALVIN 9, OLIVET 0

In the first game of the day the Knights got rolling early when second baseman Emily Sweetland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) singled to right center to score lead-off batter Valeria Frias (Wyoming, Mich./Potters House). On the next play, junior Carly Dole (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant) knocked a double to center field to bring in Sweetland and give Calvin a 2-0 lead.

The Knights tacked in two more runs in the top of the third inning as Tory Decker (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and Kennedi Pepin (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais) each recorded RBIs. In the fourth inning, Sweetland added another hit to her total as she doubled to left field to bring in shortstop Aubrey Herder (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) and extend the Calvin lead to 5-0.

In the top of the seventh inning the Knights gave themselves some issuance runs when Dole and Taylor Sanborn (Midland, Mich./Midland) recorded back-to-back RBIs. Pinch runner Emily Cole () showed off her speed when she stole home on a wild pitch before the Knights capped off their scoring when Mya Brickley (Battle Creek, Mich./Delton Kellogg) singled to bring home Reese Veltman (Wayland, Mich./Wayland). 

In the circle, junior Brooke Hunderman (Grand Rapids, Mich./Calvin Christian) pitched six innings where she recorded ten strikeouts and only gave up one hit. Freshman pitcher Cailin Knoop (Reed City, Mich./Big Rapids) entered the game in the seventh to close things out.

GAME TWO
CALVIN 8, OLIVET 0

In game two, the Knights continued to keep the pressure on the Comets as Sanborn took advantage of a defensive error and gave Calvin their first run in the bottom of the second inning. A few plays later, Brickley singled to shortstop to score Decker before Frias contributed a single of her own to bring in another run. 

Now, with runners in scoring position, Herder stepped into the batter's box and delivered a single to right center to score Frias and Lily Gaastra (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and extend the Calvin lead to 5-0. The Knights capped off their scoring in the second inning when Dole lined a double to center field to bring in two more runs.

The Knights tacked on one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Gaastra recorded an infield single to score Brickley and secure the Calvin victory.

Junior pitcher Emma Ludema (Martin, Mich./Martin) went the distance in the circle for the Knights where she recorded four strikeouts while only giving up two hits.

COACHES COMMENTS: "It's good to get two more conference wins," said head coach Becky Hilgert. "Our pitching staff really threw well today, which was a focus going into today's games. We wanted to be efficient and limit their opportunities, which we executed well. Offensively, we still need to look more consistent in our approach and we need better execution with runners on base. When we got runners on we were able to get out and run a little to speed up their defense which was key."

UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, April 23rd when they travel to take on Ohio Northern. Game one is set to begin at 3PM followed by game two at 5PM.