OLIVET, Mich. – The Trine University baseball team dropped their series finale with Olivet College on Monday afternoon by a score of 11-4. The Thunder and Comets were making up a previously rained out game originally scheduled for April 1.
The loss sends Trine to 13-12 overall and the Thunder now hold a mark of 4-3 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) competition. Olivet is 3-18 and 1-6 inside the conference.
Senior right-hander Luke Cline received the start on the mound for Trine and surrendered a pair of solo homeruns in his four innings of work, but those were the only two hits he allowed among the 15 batters faced. The offense would back him up in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs to knot the game up at two.
Senior Cory Erbskorn led off the inning with a single and sophomore Jacob Medvescek followed that up with a walk. Later in the inning, junior Easton Rhodes reached base on balls as well to fill the bags. Junior outfielder Daniel Rumberger would come through with a two-out, two-run single to get back to even.
A crooked number went on the board for the Comets in the bottom of the fifth as five runs crossed the plate. A sacrifice fly by sophomore Matthew Martin in the following inning would not be enough as Olivet tacked on four more runs to claim an 11-3 lead. Rumberger drove in the final run of an 11-4 loss in the top of the eighth when he singled to right field.
Rumberger's three RBI day came by going 2-for-3 at the dish. The three players surrounding him in the batting order had two hits each as well: Martin, Rhodes and senior Jackson O'Keefe. Senior catcher Matt Weis reached base twice via one hit and one walk. On the mound, sophomore Dominic Skinner (0-1) received the loss in only 0.2 of an inning. Classmate Noah Brettin tossed two innings of shutout baseball in relief.
After taking game one of the weekday series with Adrian College, the Thunder and Bulldogs will do battle once again on Wednesday, April 12. This contest will be on the road beginning at 4 p.m.