ADRIAN, Mich.--Adrian College opened defense of its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association baseball championship in convincing fashion on Friday with 9-3 and 8-0 wins over visiting Olivet College during the Bulldogs' home opener.
Adrian sophomore starting pitcher Tommy Parsons became part of school history in the second game of the doubleheader, throwing what's believed to be the program's second no-hitter ever.
THE BASICS
= Final Scoreline, Game 1: Adrian 9-10-3, Olivet 3-10-3
= Final Scoreline, Game 2: Adrian 8-9-1, Olivet 0-0-1
= Location: Nicolay Field, Adrian Mich.; Weather: Partly Cloudy, 39 degrees, Wind N 6 mph
= Records: Adrian Bulldogs 6-5 overall (2-0 MIAA), Olivet Comets 3-7 (0-2)
FOR ADRIAN
= Sophomore Tommy Parsons threw his first career collegiate no-hitter in the nightcap, striking out seven Comets and walking just one.
= Senior Josh Knorr went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in during the eight-run win. He walked three times in the first game.
= Classmate Jeff Gertley drove in four runs during the afternoon, highlighted by his team-leading third home run of the season.
= Junior Ian Mikowski was a tonesetter in the leadoff spot for the Bulldogs, going 3-for-5 with three walks, four runs scored, two RBI, and three stolen bases on the day.
= In the doubleheader, the Bulldogs scored 17 runs, drew 13 walks, had 19 hits, stole nine bases and generated three sacrifices/sacrifice flies.
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME ONE
= Senior Jordan Frayer (2-2) got the win while going the distance, scattering 10 singles. He allowed three runs (1 earned) and a walk while getting six strikeouts.
= Classmate Collin Parcher laced a two-out single to right field in the bottom of the third inning to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
= Olivet cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of an error. With two outs, Travis Petts singled. He came around to score on a bobble in the outfield on Andrew Dayfield's single to right-center.
= But the Bulldogs had an answer with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Junior Ryan Dorow capped it with a two-run double to in the right-center gap for a 5-1 lead.
= Adrian iced the win with two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings.
THE OPPOSITION
= In the first game, Dayfield went 3-for-3 with a RBI as Olivet rang up 10 hits.
= Connor Murney added two hits in the conference opener.
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME TWO
= Parsons' no-hitter was completed in just 88 pitches, 62 went for strikes. He faced just two over the minimum 27 batters, issuing a walk to Jimmy Schoof who was the second batter of the contest. Parsons retired the next 19 men he faced before Stephen Botti reached on a throwing error in the seventh.
= Adrian gave Parsons all the offense he would need with a run in the first and two more in the next inning. Gertley walked with the bases loaded for a 1-0 advantage. Then junior Dakota Cararo stole home on a double steal with classmate Brian Killinger (3-for-5 with three runs on the day) and Knorr had a RBI-single to right field.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
= Parsons' gem is the first no-hitter during the 23-year tenure of Bulldogs head coach Craig Rainey, and believed to be just the second no-no since the program was founded in 1901. It's also the fourth no-hitter thrown in NCAA Division III this season. Eric Davis pitched a no-hitter during the 1970s.
= Adrian now leads the all-time series over Olivet 100-57 and the Bulldogs have defeated the Comets in 41 consecutive meetings. The 100 victories are the most against any opponent.
= With the 9-3 triumph in the first game, Adrian moves to 13-10 in home openers under Coach Rainey--winning 10 its past 11 such encounters.
UP NEXT
= Adrian and Olivet wrap up their four-game MIAA series tomorrow afternoon at the Comets' Cutler Athletic Complex with contests at 1 (7 innings) and 3:30 p.m. (9).