ADA, Ohio – The Trine University baseball team dropped a non-conference game on Tuesday 12-11 with Ohio Northern University. The Thunder (5-10) slugged 14 hits and took a 6-5 lead after trailing by three runs but ultimately did not have enough steam to overcome a second wave of Polar Bear (7-9) offense in the bottom of the fifth.
Tyler Robinson [Schaumburg, Ill. / Schaumburg] and Avery Fulford [Conifer, Colo. / Conifer] led off the game with hits that put runners on first and third. Easton Rhodes [Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb] provided a two-out extra base hit that scored both baserunners to give Trine a 2-0 lead.
Starting pitcher Kade Keele [Fort Wayne, Ind. / New Haven] worked around two that reached in the bottom half of the inning to keep the zero on the board. Unfortunately it would not last long as Ohio Northern plated five over the next inning and two-thirds to chase Keele from the game.
More two-out magic in the fourth allowed the Thunder to get the game back to even at 5. Gary DeMartino [Beavercreek, Ohio / Owens C.C.], Matt Weis [Trenton, Ill. / Triad] and Adam Stefanelli [Westerville, Ohio / Westerville North] got solid contact for consecutive base hits with Weis scoring DeMartino. Matthew Martin [Eureka, Ill. / Eureka] made it four in a row to get Weis and Stefanelli home.
An error by the Polar Bear defense gave Trine the opportunity to use small ball to take the lead. Dalton Nikirk [Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence] moved the runner to second on a bunt and a wild pitch placed Nikirk 90 feet from home. Brenden Warner [Richland, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Prep] knocked a single into right field to take a 6-5 edge.
Two homeruns for Ohio Northern in the bottom of the fifth helped the Polar Bears to put up a crooked number in the inning and take an 11-6 lead. Through adversity, the Thunder battled back. Trine scored runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings in a comeback attempt.
DeMartino, Weis and Stefanelli contributed to two more runs in the sixth with three straight singles. Aided by a balk, DeMartino and Weis came around to score on Stefanelli's hit to center field. The seventh saw Warner score Fulford on a groundball up the middle. Fulford led off the frame with a double into left. That got the score to 11-9, but a solo homerun by Ohio Northern in the bottom half of the inning added insurance.
The solo shot would be the difference maker as Weis and Stefanelli scored in the top of the eighth on an error and wild pitch to get to the final score of 12-11.
Fulford (3-for-5) and Weis (3-for-4) had three hits apiece and scored three times to pace the offense. DeMartino and Stefanelli had multiple hits as well. Warner, Rhodes, Stefanelli and Martin drove in two runs apiece.
On the mound, Josh Hoogewerf [Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point] received the loss (0-2). Freshman right-hander Noah Brettin [Rolling Prairie, Ind. / New Prairie] tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
Trine will begin Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play on Saturday, April 2 against the Comets of Olivet College. It will serve as the home opener at Jannen Field for the 2022 season, with first pitch taking place at 1 pm.