KOKOMO, Ind. – The Trine University baseball team opened up the 2023 season against Anderson University on Saturday afternoon and took both games of a doubleheader. The Thunder topped the Ravens by a score of 8-5 in game one after scoring six runs in the top of the ninth inning and capped the day with an 8-2 victory. The Thunder start the year 2-0 while Anderson is 0-2.
GAME ONE RECAP:
Junior starting pitcher Cam Nagel worked around two hits in the bottom of the first from Anderson, but ran into trouble in the second inning thanks to three walks and an error. With a pair of runners in scoring position, a wild pitch and throwing error from behind the dish allowed two runs to cross the plate.
Trine took advantage of a Ravens miscue in the next half inning, however. Junior Daniel Rumberger reached on an error, stole second and came around to score on a double by sophomore Jacob Medvescek to cut the deficit in half. An RBI triple from the home team in the fourth put the Thunder back down two at 3-1.
The teams would trade runs once more in the fifth and sixth innings. Sophomore Matthew Martin laced an RBI double to right to plate an unearned run and Anderson made a leadoff double count simply by putting the ball in play.
Senior Cole Decker came out of the bullpen and tossed zeros in the seventh and eighth innings which put Trine in position to strike for their ninth inning rally. Senior Avery Fulford singled to leadoff the inning and that opened the floodgates for four consecutive hits for the visitors. Medvescek tied the game with a single, then senior Cory Erbskorn, junior Dalton Nikirk and junior Easton Rhodes provided insurance with a single, sacrifice fly and two-run double to go up 8-4.
Anderson was able to score once in the ninth, but senior Robert Kortas slammed the door shut by eliminating the only batter he faced for the save.
Decker (1-0) received the win out of the bullpen and tossed 3.2 innings following Nagel's 5.0 innings of work. Eight hits were diversified amongst seven different hitters for the offense. The leadoff man Medvescek was the lone man with multiple hits at 2-for-5. He and Rhodes drove in two runs apiece and Rumberger scored three times in the season opener.
GAME TWO RECAP:
In game two, Trine was held without a run over the course of five innings. Junior Kade Keele started the game on the bump for the Thunder and was relieved after four solid innings. In his final frame, he surrendered two runs, one of which unearned. A timely double play got him out of a jam.
A two-run double by Erbskorn in the top of the sixth inning knotted things up at two. After only two hits in the first five innings, Trine was able to manufacture six in the next two frames.
Three hits, an error, a walk and a hit by pitch resulted in five runs for the Thunder as they pulled away late. Sophomore Preston Henschen was plunked and stole second base, leading to Martin notching an RBI on a single to right. Senior Adam Stefanelli and Nikirk each had doubles to plate a combined three runs and an error on the infield provided another run for Trine in the inning.
Small ball in the ninth brought in an eighth run for the Thunder on the day and the bullpen was lights out over the final five innings. Sophomore Hunter Niksch (1-0) threw 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball and freshman Jack Villareal fanned two over the final 2.2 innings in his collegiate debut.
Fulford was 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in the game and right behind him in the batting order were Stefanelli (2-for-5) and Nikirk (2-for-4). Erbskorn drove in a team-high three runs.
The series between these two ballclubs concludes on Sunday, February 26 beginning at 12 p.m.