ANGOLA, Ind. - On Senior Day, the Trine University baseball team split their final pair of regular season games with Kalamazoo College winning game one 11-7 and falling in game two 3-2. The Thunder assure themselves of their second straight winning season as they enter the MIAA Tournament as the third seed with an 23-18 overall record and finish the MIAA season with a 17-11 mark.
Kalamazoo scored four runs to open game one as they jumped out to the early lead. The Hornets would add two more runs in the top of the third as they led it 6-0 to that point.
Trine finally struck in the bottom half of the inning on a single off the bat of senior Tom Wilder (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield).
The Thunder would blow the game open in the fourth as they sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning and scored nine runs on seven hits. Junior Adam Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Elmhurst) got the scoring started with an RBI single. Senior Matt Zurbriggen (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) would add an RBI single before Wilder knocked a double with the bases loaded, scoring all three runs. With the bases loaded once again, junior Andrew DeGood (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton) singled to center to plate two more runs. On the second time through, Sullivan knocked a double down the left field line to score two more runs for the Thunder.
The Hornets would add a run in the fifth and the Thunder answered with a run of their own in the sixth. With runners on the corners, Kalamazoo attempted a pickoff at first, but junior Jeff Phillips (Prospect, Ohio/Marion Pleasant) broke from third to steal home easily.
Despite allowing seven runs (six earned), sophomore Edward Tomich (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) earned his second win of the season lasting five innings while surrendering 10 hits and striking out three. Senior Jamar Averyhart (Griffith, Ind./Griffith) came on to pitcher a perfect sixth inning. Fellow senior Nick Cocanower (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) came on in a non-save situation and allowed a hit while striking out a batter in the seventh.
Game two saw a pitcher’s duel between sophomore Jakeb Briscoe (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) and Kalamazoo’s Phil Earls. Both pitchers went all seven innings as neither allowed an earned run.
Kalamazoo would strike first again as they plated all three of their runs in the second inning. The Hornets plated a run on an RBI groundout and then on a two-out single.
The Thunder plated both of their runs in the fourth, first on a two-out single by freshman Jake Kendall (New Castle, Ind./New Castle). The Thunder would plate their final run on a double steal, as Kendall took second and sophomore Tyler Severeid (Granger, Ind./Penn) took home on the throw down to try and retire Kendall at second.
Trine would get a runner on in each of the final three innings, but were unable to get the tying run in.
Briscoe finished the day allowing seven hits while striking out two batters.
Sullivan, DeGood and sophomore Jordan Baer (Fort Wayne, Ind./Leo) all collected three hits on the afternoon. Wilder led Trine with four RBIs while Sullivan collected three. Phillips led the Thunder with three runs scored on the day.
Trine head into the MIAA tournament where they will face Adrian on May 8 on the road for the first game of the tournament. The double-elimination tournament will then head to Hope College for the final two days.
