CRAWFORDSVILLE, IND. -- The Trine University baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader, 5-2 and 11-9, to begin a four-game series against Wabash College at Goodrich Ballpark in Crawfordsville, Ind.
After a scoreless first inning to begin game one, Trine (0-7) scored the first run of the contest in the top of the second frame on a throwing error that occurred on a failed pickoff attempt and allowed freshman Daniel Rumberger (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) to score from third base. Wabash (5-5) answered the Trine run with three runs in its half of the inning that included a two-run double which resulted in a 3-1 lead for the Little Giants after two innings of play.
Wabash then added runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings thanks to a pair of RBI-doubles to increase the margin to four runs, 5-1. The Thunder offense got another run in the eighth that was set up by a Adam Steffanelli (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) double who later scored on a double by junior Brenden Warner (Richland, Mich./Hackett Catholic Prep) two batters later to make it a 5-2 game.
The run by Steffanelli ended up being the final run of the game, however, as Wabash held on for the three-run victory by the final of 5-2.
Warner and sophomore Cory Erbskorn (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) led the Trine hittlers, both finishing with a pair of hits. Warner went two-for-two and drove in a run. Erbskorn had two hits in four at-bats to round out the multi-hitters. Steffanelli finished the game one-of-four at the plate to go along with the run scored. Rumberger had a hit in three at-bats with the run scored.
Senior Adam Wheaton (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett Catholic Prep) started at pitcher for the Thunder, but ended up with the loss after going seven full innings and allowed five runs on 12 hits in addition to striking out six batters. Freshman Kade Keele (Fort Wayne, Ind./New Haven) pitched the final inning and gave up no runs on one hit and had one strikeout.
In game two, Wabash grabbed the early lead off of a throwing error in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the third inning, the two squads combined for seven runs with Trine plating three of those runs in the top of the inning on a bases loaded wild pitch that was followed by a RBI-double by Warner and a run-scoring base hit by freshman Dalton Nikirk (Bedford, Ind./Bedford North Lawrence). The Little Giants the struck for four runs in their half of the inning, highlighted by a two-run single, to lead 5-3.
Both teams added a run in the fourth with Trine's run coming on a fielding error that occurred on a single by Steffanelli and scored senior Joe Fiorucci (St. Joseph, Mich./St. Joseph), but the Little Giants still led by a pair of runs, 6-4, after four innings of play.
Wabash then broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning, but Trine later responded in the top of the seventh by getting four of those runs back that included a two-RBI double by Erbskorn and pulled the Thunder to within three runs, 11-8.
Sophomore Tyler Robinson (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) led off the ninth inning for Trine with a pinch-hit double and later scored on a base hit by Rumberger to make it an 11-9 game. But the run came with two outs and Wabash got the game-ending out on the next Trine at-bat to preserve the 11-9 victory and the sweep.
The Trine bats accounted for 11 out of the game's 24 total hits with Nikirk being the lone Thunder player to finish with multiple base knocks and went three-of-four overall with a run scored and two RBI. Eight other players each recorded a hit that included Erbskorn who finished one-of-four with a run scored and two RBI. Robinson's double was his only hit of the afternoon and he also scored a pair of runs. Warner had a hit in four at-bats to go along with a run scored and RBI. Fiorucci scored a team-high three runs in addition to having a hit in three attempts.
Freshman Josh Hoogewerf (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) got the start on the mound and went three innings while allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits and struck out one batter in the loss. Fellow freshman Cam Nagel (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) came on to pitch two innings of relief and gave up six runs, three earned, and six hits. Senior Conner Dove (St. Joe, Ind./Eastside) pitched the final three innings and allowed no runs and just two hits while striking out two batters.
Trine will wrap-up its series against Wabash tomorrow (Sunday, Mar. 21) with a second doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at noon at Goodrich Ballpark.