The Hope College baseball team moved into a three-way tie for second place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings with a 4-2 and 7-5 sweep of visiting Olivet College on Thursday at Boeve Stadium.

The Flying Dutchmen (15-9 overall) improved to 8-6 in MIAA play and shared second place with Kalamazoo and Trine.

In Game 1, designated hitter Tanner Gilmore of Murrieta, California (Alta Loma HS) and catcher Codey Houts of Spring Lake, Michigan (Spring Lake) delivered back-to-back, run-scoring hits to stake Hope to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Houts had a two-run double.

Third baseman Danny Carrasco of Grandville, Michigan (Calvin Christian) added a RBI double in the fifth.

Winning pitcher Eric Plaehn of Lansing, Michigan (Catholic Central) tossed his fourth complete game of the season. He allowed three hits and one walk over seven innings, including a two-run single to Dillon Mitchell in the top of the fifth.

Plaehn (5-1) struck out six.

In Game 2, the Flying Dutchmen used a four-run sixth to take the lead for good in the scheduled nine-inning game.

Leftfielder Trace Slancik of Scotts, Michigan (Vicksburg) capped the decisive rally with a two-run single to right that scored second baseman Michael Barnett of Saline, Michigan (Saline) and pinch-hitter Nicholas Lepore of Clinton Township, Michigan (Warren DeLaSalle).

Slancik went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Barnett had three hits.

Winning pitcher Clayton Shelbourne of Oakland, Michigan (Lake Orion) threw 4 ⅓ innings of scoreless relief for his first collegiate win. Shelbourne (1-0) struck out three and yielded two hits.

Matt Van Dyken of Zeeland, Michigan (East) pitched the final two innings for his second save.

Hope concludes the series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Olivet (5-21, 2-12 MIAA).