OLIVET, Mich. – The Trine University baseball completed the sweep of Olivet College on Sunday with a 4-2 win in nine innings for their first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) road win of the year.
The Thunder (8-10, 3-0 MIAA) only had four hits on the day, but made the most of the opportunities when the Comets (5-12, 0-3 MIAA) allowed them to reach base. The pitching staff of Cam Nagel [Noblesville, Ind. / Noblesville], Cole Decker [Leonidas, Mich. / Mendon / Glen Oaks] and Noah Brettin [Rolling Prairie, Ind. / New Prairie] surrendered two runs on five hits with just three walks to secure the victory.
The starting pitcher Nagel sent Olivet hitters down 1-2-3 in the first and got a soft groundout to end the inning with traffic on in the second.
Matthew Martin [Eureka, Ill. / Eureka] was hit by a pitch in the third and stole second base as the first baserunner of the game for Trine, but with two outs, he was left in scoring position. The first hit for the Thunder came in the fourth when Brenden Warner [Richland, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Prep] singled through the left side of the infield.
Nagel was dealing at this point and sat down 10 in a row to wrap up the fifth, but the game remained scoreless at that point. In the top half of the sixth, the offense delivered for two runs. Tyler Robinson [Schaumburg, Ill. / Schaumburg] drew a walk to lead off the inning and was bunted over to second base. Warner would send a double down the left field line to score Robinson and crossed the plate himself on a passed ball later in the inning.
Olivet broke the streak to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but right fielder Gary DeMartino [Beavercreek, Ohio / Owens C.C.] nabbed the runner trying to extend the single into a double for the first out of the inning. Nagel would get out of the sixth unscathed, but the seventh saw the Comets make significant contact. A double and two-run homerun tied the game at two and chased Nagel off the mound with a no decision. The left-hander Decker came in to shut the door on the frame.
Nagel's day came to an end at 6.2 innings with four hits, two runs and two walks with two strikeouts. Just like the sixth inning, an RBI double and passed ball resulted in two runs for the Thunder. Warner was hit by a pitch and pinch ran for by Tyler Drope [Marysville, Ohio / Marysville]. Drope scored off the bat of DeMartino with a double and scored on the fielding miscue.
The tying run reached base for the Comets in the eighth, but Decker ended the threat with a popup in foul ground. Decker remained in the game to induce a flyball to centerfield for the first out in the ninth, then Brettin appeared for the final two outs of the game to win 4-2.
Decker's win is his first of the season (1-0) in his sixth appearance. Brettin notched a save on back-to-back days and now has four on the year. Warner was the only hitter that reached base multiple times with two base hits, an RBI and a run scored.
Conference play continues on Tuesday, April 5 at Adrian College with a 4 pm first pitch.