Angola, Ind. – After dropping game one, the Trine baseball team came back to take game two and earn the split in a MIAA conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Jannen Field.
Calvin stayed error free in the pitcher's duel between the teams to win game one. Trine came out ready in game two, scoring three runs in the first inning. The Thunder pounded out a total of nine hits. Colton Conn (Cincinnati, Ohio / Indian Hill) hit his first career homerun in a three-hit day. Drew Palmer (Hartford, Wisc. / Hartford Union) advanced his hitting streak to five games. He is now 10-18 in the last five games, making his batting average .556 in his hitting streak. Trine is now 1-1 in MIAA play and 5-7 overall. Calvin is now 1-1 in MIAA play and 5-8 overall.
Game One: Calvin 2, Trine 1
Kyle Wasserberger earned the win for Calvin in the defensive battle of game one and improved his record to 2-2.
An RBI standup double by Palmer drew first blood in the bottom of first, putting the Thunder up 1-0.
Calvin answered back in the top of the second with a RBI single from Jonathan Keane to tie the score back up at one apiece.
The Knights took advantage of two errors by the Thunder in the top of the seventh to take the lead and the win, 2-1.
Despite being tagged with the loss, Andy Farrell (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / St. Vincent St. Mary) only allowed the Knights two hits in his 6.1 innings pitched. Farrell had two strikeouts on the day.
Game Two: Trine 5, Calvin 2
A bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first got the wheels turning for the Thunder. Zach Thorn (Portage, Ind. / Portage) added another run with a RBI-single off a fielder's choice. The Thunder generated another run off a stolen base by Thorn allowing J.J. LaBounty (Avon, Ind. / Covenant Christian) to cross home plate. The inning ended with Trine on top 3-0.
LaBounty extended Trine's lead to 4-0 with an RBI single in the bottom of the second.
Conn made the score 5-0 in the bottom of sixth with his first home run of his career as he launched a long drive to right center. Conn's solo home run is the first homer on the year for Trine.
Calvin got on the board in the top of the seventh off a triple and a sac fly from Ryan Stewart to bring the run in, making the score 5-1 going into the bottom of the seventh.
Calvin tried knocking on the door in the top of the ninth when Stewart had an RBI-single to add another run for the Knights, but Trine quickly shut the comeback down.
Ben Wheaton (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Central) earned his second win of the year, improving his record to 2-1. Wheaton pounded the strike zone with 68 strikes and had six strikeouts in his seven innings of pitching.
The Thunder return to action Monday, March 28 when they travel to Calvin for a MIAA conference doubleheader. First pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
Article contributed by Cody Konieczki, Trine University, Communications '17
