AUBURNDALE, FLA. -- Trine's baseball team was swept by Mount Union in the season-opening doubleheader for the Thunder Sunday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park.
Anthony Morino's walk-off RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Purple Raiders to a 4-3 victory in game one. Mount Union followed that up with an 11-0 victory to earn the sweep. Sam Clarke fired a three-hit shutout and struck out four to earn the win in game two. Kyle Auernhamer (Vassar, Mich./Vassar) had two hits, including a double on the day for Trine. Mount Union opens the season 2-0, while Trine opens 0-2.
Game One: Mount Union 4, Trine 3 (8)
Morino's walk-off single gave Mount Union the victory in game one after the game headed to the extra-inning.
Trine got on the board first with a two-run third. Auernhamer led off with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He would come in to score off an error on a failed pick-off attempt. Later in the inning Adam Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Elmhurst) doubled home Ethan Prebynski (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb), who had drawn a walk, to make it 2-0 in favor of the Thunder.
Mount Union countered with a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI-double by Justin Jakubik. Trine restored their two-run lead when an RBI-groundout by Prebynski scored Auernhamer to make it 3-1 through the top of the fifth.
The Purple Raiders rallied to tie in the bottom of the frame. After a pair of one-out singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, Evan Knott drove home the pair of runners to knot the score at three-apiece.
Neither team was able to scratch across a run until Morino's single scored Ben Atkinson with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Edward Tomich (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) worked five innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits and striking out two for Trine. Tom Bekelsky picked up the victory in relief for Mount Union with two shutout frames. He struck out two.
Auernhamer finished 2-3 with two runs scored for the Thunder.
Game Two: Mount Union 11, Trine 0
The Purple Raiders exploded for six runs in the fourth and Clarke's pitching did the rest as Mount Union cruised to the victory in game two.
Lee Grosscup went 4-4 with three doubles and four RBI's for MU. Knott and Steve Mitch each added two RBI's. Knott finished the day with four runs driven in.
Mount Union scored two runs in the third before plating six in a big fourth inning. They added three runs in the fifth, and finished with 18 hits in the game.
Trine returns to action Monday, Mar. 3 at 9:00 a.m. when they take on St. John Fisher at Chain of Lakes Park Field #4 in Auburndale, Fla.