The Dominican University baseball team picked up its second win of the weekend, improving to 2-1 on the season, with a 9-5 win over the Olivet College Comets on Monday afternoon at Center College in Danville, Kentucky.
 
"We ended a trip on a high note," said Steve Hardman, the Stars' head coach. "We started off slow and were chasing runs early but managed to score seven runs in the last three innings to separate ourselves from Olivet.  We got some really big two-out hits with guys in scoring position to open the flood gates."
 
"We got another quality start from a freshman making his first start, Bryant Bagshaw," continued Hardman.  "He went deep in the game to help minimize the use of our bullpen."
 
Bagshaw tossed six innings for the Stars, giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six. The rookie right-hander exited the game in the top of the seventh with the score tied at 3-3 after the Stars rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the sixth.  Tyler Kara then came on in relief, picking up the win after Dominican rallied for three in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the eighth.
 
Kara was charged with two runs on two hits over an inning and two-thirds before Austin Michals came on to pick up the four-out save.
 
The Stars fell behind 3-0 after two and a half innings before scratching across a run in the bottom of the third when Frankie Sessa singled up the middle, scoring Ryan Simak who was on base three times with a pair of walks and scored twice.
 
Dominican's two-run rally in the sixth started with a drop-third strike, allowing Hayden Young to reach before Brandon Diedrich doubled to right to put runners at second and third.  Sam Bjorklund followed with an RBI single, the first of his two RBIs of the day, before Mike Buckley plated Diedrich with a sac fly.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Stars drew three walks to start the frame before Young singled through the left side of the infield to give Dominican their first lead of the game.  After a short fly out to centerfield, Kevin Evans managed to score from third when Bjorklund popped out to second base.  Buckley then picked up his second RBI of the day, knocking in Sessa with a single up the middle.
 
After a two-run homer for the Comets pulled Olivet back within a run, Dominican answered for three more runs in the bottom of the eighth.  The big knock in the frame was a two-run single by Diedrich before Bjorklund added an insurance run with a single to right, scoring Sessa who was intentionally walked earlier in the inning.
 
Michals then worked around a two-out double in the top of the ninth, securing his second save in as many days.
 
Dominican managed eight hits in the wining effort, including three for Bjorklund who went 3-for-5 while Diedrich collected two hits.
 
"We had three goals coming into this trip," said Hardman. "We wanted to come home above .500, learn something about ourselves and what we need to work on moving forward and to come home healthy.  We accomplished all three so it was a productive trip."
 
The Stars will return to the diamond on Sunday, March 3, in Fort Pierce, Florida, taking on the Monmouth College Fighting Scots in a twin bill—the first two of eight games on Dominican's spring trip to Fort Pierce.