GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The No. 7 Davenport baseball team scored seven runs in the eighth inning as the Panthers ran away with an 11-3 victory over NCAA Division III Olivet to wrap up both the non-conference and home schedules in the regular season on a cold, cloudy Tuesday evening.
 
The win gives Davenport (40-6) its second 40-win season in program history. The Panthers, who resumes Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference trailing only a half of a game behind first-place Northwestern Ohio, will finish the regular season on the road starting with Siena Heights Friday and Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Seven different Panthers logged in a hit highlighted by a triples from Jordan Zylstra and Jimmy Filipski in the eighth inning. Filipski also drove in runs on the hit.
 
Head coach Kevin Tidey went with four different pitchers on the evening. Starter Brandon MacKinnon and Corey Sessions (5-0) both threw three innings, Ryan Butzer had two innings of work and Jonathan Cheshire went 1-2-3 in the ninth for his only appearance.
 
Even though the Comets (5-27) scored first in the opening inning, the Panthers countered in their half. Zac Wilson was hit by the pitch with one out, advanced to third on Matt Priebe's base hit and scored when Zack Sardellitti hit rare sacrifice fly to the second baseman just several feet from the bag.
 
Tied at 2-2 heading into the home half of the third with Wilson and Tim Steffes at the corners, Brandon Cable broke the tie with a base hit to right and although he was caught stealing second, it distracted the Comets long enough for Steffes to find his way home and give the Panthers a 4-2 lead.
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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