CONWAY, S.C. – Hilbert College Baseball continue its spring break action on Sunday afternoon with a strong, complete-team performance, defeating Olivet 5–3 behind early offensive production and steady work on the mound. The Hawks struck for five runs across the first three innings and held off a late Comet push to earn the victory.
Hilbert wasted no time generating offense in the opening frame.
Joey Haynes led off with a single before
Shane Pray reached on a hit-by-pitch, setting up
Reed Lesmeister to deliver a two‑run single to center that gave the Hawks a 2–0 advantage. Olivet threatened immediately with a bases‑loaded opportunity in the top half but came up empty as
Tyler Noel worked out of the jam unscathed.
The Hawks extended their lead in the third, beginning with a Hoag single and a Pray infield hit that sparked a multi-run rally. After
Patrick Evans was hit by a pitch to load the bases,
Dustin Hendrix singled home a run, and
Jude Khoury was hit by another pitch to force in a second. Moments later,
Garrett Brink drew a bases‑loaded walk, pushing the score to 5–0 and capping a three‑run inning.
Olivet slowly chipped away, scoring on a pair of doubles in the fifth and adding another run in the sixth off a sacrifice fly. Still, the Hilbert staff kept the Comets from compiling any major inning. Noel worked five solid frames, allowing just one run while striking out five.
Alex Rumfola and
David Alessi handled the middle innings, combining for three more strikeouts, before
Ryan Hilton entered in the ninth to record the save despite a brief Olivet surge. A double and an RBI single cut the lead to 5–3, but a game‑ending double play secured the win.
Haynes led the Hawks with two hits, while Hendrix added two of his own, including a seventh‑inning double. Lesmeister drove in two, and Brink, Khoury, and Hendrix each recorded RBI. Hilbert finished with 10 hits on the afternoon and turned two key double plays to stall Olivet scoring opportunities.
On the mound, Noel outdueled Olivet's Bryan Carney, who has gained national attention this spring, earning a spot on d3baseball.com's National Team of the Week for week 2 of the season, to earn his first win of the season.
UP NEXT:
The Hawks are back in action tomorrow evening with a doubleheader against Cairn University beginning at 6 pm.
