ANGOLA, Ind. - Things worked out just the way the Trine University baseball team needed them to as they swept Kalamazoo College 4-3 and 6-1 to clinch a spot in the MIAA Conference Tournament. The sweep for the Thunder improves their overall record to 20-14 on the season and 14-8 in the conference. Trine has now won six straight games.
The Thunder got off to a quick start in the game one as they batted around in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs. Senior Josh Rivera (Somonauk, Ill./Somonauk) led the inning off with a single and then with one out, senior Ryan Smith (Danville, Ind./Danville) singled down the left field line. Both players would move up an extra base on the hit on the Kalamazoo error. Junior Steve Cornett (Bremen, Ind./Bremen) followed suit with a single to right, scoring Rivera.
Junior Tom Wilder (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield) would then single, scoring Smith from third. After a groundout moved both runners up to second and third, sophomore Adam Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Elmhurst) had an infield single to the second baseman as Cornett scored initially. Wilder would then score after the Kalamazoo player was unable to recover on the wet ground.
The Hornets answered back in the third as they scored twice, after a Trine error allowed the inning to continue.
Kalamazoo would plate another run in the fifth after the Thunder committed another error that would have ended the inning without any damage.
Neither team would score after that as the Thunder’s first inning lead held up.
Kale Popp earned his sixth win of the season going six innings, allowing all three runs, none of which were earned, while giving up eight hits and striking out two. Sophomore Jeremy Spalding (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Central Catholic) came on the finish things off in the seventh, earning his conference leading eighth save of the season, not allowing a batter to reach base.
All six Trine hits came in the first inning, as Wilder, Cornett and Sullivan each collected an RBI.
Game two saw the Hornets strike first as they plated a run on a two-out double. That would be all the damage Kalamazoo would do as Trine starter junior Jake Rightnowar (Oregon, Ohio/Toledo Christian) retired the next 18 batters in a row before allowing a hit in the top of the seventh with two outs.
Trine quickly answered back in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. A leadoff walk by Rivera was followed by a sacrifice bunt from junior Matt Zurbriggen (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point). Smith would then deliver a double to right center to score Rivera from second.
With one out in the second, senior Craig Rinkes (Medina, Ohio/Medina) would double to center. Senior Brian Hoeper (Angola, Ind./Angola) then delivered an RBI single to left to bring home the run.
The Thunder would add another run in the fourth following a leadoff double by Wilder. A sacrifice bunt would move him to third and then a sacrifice fly by Rinkes would score Wilder from third.
Trine would plate the final runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth as sophomore Andrew DeGood (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton) singled and Hoeper walked to put runners on. Kalamazoo would commit a throwing error on the next play allowing both DeGood and Hoeper to score.
Rightnowar allowed just three hits and one earned run after going the distance and striking out eight Hornets.
Smith led the Trine offense at the dish in game two, collecting two hits and two RBI. Rivera scored twice while Rinkes and Hoeper each collected a hit, run and an RBI.
The two teams will face off again on April 29 beginning at 1:00 p.m. for a doubleheader.