ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University baseball team lost both games of a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association doubleheader against Albion (Mich.) College in the season finale at Jannen Field in Angola, Ind. The Thunder lost the first game, 3-1, and fell in the nightcap, 8-4.
In game one, Albion (22-17, 17-11 MIAA) scored the game's first run in the top of the first inning on a run-scoring single and then added two more runs in the third to lead, 3-0. Trine (15-25, 8-20 MIAA) got on the board in the bottom of the second on a balk with junior Thomas Rivet (Howell, Mich./Harland) on third base. Rivet got on base earlier in the inning thanks to a double and then advanced to third on another balk.
Both teams were held scoreless the remainder of the game as the Britons held on for the two-run victory, 3-1.
Trine had six hits in the game and one player had a multi-hit game in senior Jacob Heller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Prairie Heights) who went two-of-three at the plate. Four other players each recorded a hit that included Rivet who finished one-of-three and scored the Thunder's only run.
Four pitchers saw action on the mound for Trine with sophomore Adam Wheaton (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett Catholic Prep) getting the start and pitched two and two-thirds innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and struck out six batters in the loss.
In the second game, no runs crossed home plate until the top of the fourth inning when Albion plated a run on a RBI-single. The run was the beginning of a five-run scoring streak as the Britons went on to add a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to lead, 5-0. Trine ended the shutout with a score in the bottom of the sixth on a ground out with runners on second and third base to cut into the deficit, 5-1.
Albion answered the Trine run with two more runs in the seventh and another run in the eighth to make it an 8-1 game. The Thunder looked to mount a rally beginning in their half of the eighth that saw Trine score three runs that came on a fielder's choice and defensive error that scored both senior Cale Hall (Orleans, Ind./Orleans) and sophomore Shayne Devine (Valparaiso, Ind./Portage). The other run in the inning came in on a single by senior Zach Schulte (Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren Cousino) before the final outs of the frame were recorded, making the score, 8-3.
After a scoreless top of the ninth by Albion that kept the Trine deficit at five runs, the Thunder were held scoreless in their final at-bats to seal the win for the vistors, 8-3, who took the two-game sweep.
The Trine offense recorded seven hits with Devine and senior Stevie Sieczkowski (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Technical) both tallying two hits. Devine ended the game two-of-five with a run scored and Sieczkowski went two-of-four. Cale Hall had a hit in four at-bats to go along with a run scored and a RBI. Schulte's single in the eighth was his only base knock of the game (one-of-four) in addition to the RBI.
Freshman Shawn Conover (Kenton, Ohio/Kenton Senior) started at pitcher and was one of a total of six hurlers to see playing time. Conover would suffer the loss, however, after pitching four complete innings and gave up two runs on five hits with a strikeout.