ALMA, Mich.-- After seeing its winning-streak snapped in game one, the Trine baseball team rallied back to defeat Alma in game two to earn the split and win the MIAA series.
Colin Nash fired a complete game to lead the Scots to the game one victory, which snapped a five-game Thunder winning streak. Trine had the answer in game two, pounding out 14 hits spread among eight players in the 8-6 victory. Drew Palmer (Hartford, Wis. / Hartford Union) remained one of the hottest hitters in the MIAA as he extended his hitting-streak to 15 games with five hits. Trine is now 13-9 overall and in second-place in the MIAA with a 9-3 mark in league action. The Thunder has won three of four in all three MIAA series it has played so far. Alma is 17-6 overall, 8-4 in conference play.
Game One: Alma 3, Trine 1
One big inning and a solid pitching performance by Nash were enough for the Scots in the opener.
Alma scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with one out on a walk and pair of bunt singles. Vinny Slobodecki (Carol Stream, Ill. / Glenbard North) nearly worked out ouf trouble, inducing a pop out and a ground ball, but Adam Thoryk beat out an infield single as two runners scored to make the score 2-0. Yoan De La Rosa added an RBI-double for the final run of the frame.
Trine scored its run in the fifth when Jake Kendall (New Castle, Ind. / New Castle) scored on a balk.
Jacob Heller (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Prairie Heights) notched three hits for the Thunder, while Colton Conn (Cincinnati, Ind. / Indian Hill) added a pair of base hits. Conn extended his hitting-streak to seven with hits in both ends of the doubleheader.
Slobodecki was tagged with the loss despite another solid outing. The junior allowed six hits and three earned runs, walked two and struck out two.
Nash fired a complete game for the Scots. He scattered six hits and allowed one earned run. Nash did not walk a batter and struck out five to improve to 4-0 on the year.
Game Two: Trine 8, Alma 6
The Scots scored first on a bases-loaded walk, but a big third inning gave the Thunder the lead for good as Trine was able to hold on the rest of the way.
Palmer doubled home the first run of the inning to tie things up. Palmer notched four hits in game two of the doubleheader. The reigning MIAA Player of the Week is batting a scalding .491 over the course of his 15-game hitting streak.
An RBI-single by Zach Seder (Saginaw, Mich. / Valley Lutheran) and a two-run single by Kory Shackle (Butler, Ohio / Mount Vernon) also added to the scoring in the inning. The Thunder picked up an additional run on an error.
The Scots cut the deficit to 5-4 with single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings, but Trine had an answer. A solo home run by Bob Ross (Valparaiso, Ind. / Washington Township) restored a two-run lead. The homer was the first of Ross' collegiate career. The Thunder would tack on another unearned run in the inning.
The Scots once again rallied to cut the deficit to one with runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Heller gave the Thunder an important insurance run in the ninth with an RBI-single to score Zach Thorn (Portage, Ind. / Portage), who was one of four Trine players to collect a mult-hit game in game two.
Thorn and Heller also combined on the defensive highlight of the game, as Heller relayed a Thorn throw from left to cut down a run at the plate.
Shaun Seigneur (Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing) earned the win in 2.2 innings of relief. Jake Weimer (Pittsboro, Ind. / Brownsburg) nailed down his first six-out save of the season with two innings of work. Weimer has picked up a save in his last four appearances. His four saves this season have tied his career-high already.
The game two victory gives Trine a 6-0 record in nine-inning MIAA games this season.
The Thunder open a MIAA series this Saturday, Apr. 16 at Kalamazoo. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.