Angola, Ind. – The Trine baseball team took both games against Alma in a MIAA conference doubleheader Monday afternoon at Jannen Field.
Trine won game one 4-3 in a tightly-contested game. Both teams were evenly matched when it came to hitting, with both having six hits each. Key defensive and offensive efforts in the last three innings by Trine helped secure the comeback win over Alma in game two, 7-6. Trine pounded out a total of 11 hits. Bob Ross (Valparaiso, Ind. / Washington Township) sent the Thunder home winners in walk-off fashion with a bases-loaded, RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth.
Drew Palmer (Harford, Wisc. / Hartford Union) extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He is now batting .469 during his hitting streak. Palmer was also announced earlier today as the MIAA Player of the Week for baseball. Trine is now 8-2 in MIAA play and 12-8 overall. Alma is now 7-3 in MIAA play and 16-5 overall.
Game One: Trine 4, Alma 3
A couple bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the first allowed for the Thunder to strike first on the scoreboard and take the early lead 2-0.
An RBI ground out by Alex Peczynski allowed the Scots to get on the board in the top of the third. A pass ball allowed David Carles to cross home plate and to tie the game back up to two apiece.
The Thunder took the lead back, 3-2, in the bottom of the third when Kory Shackle (Butler, Ohio / Mount Vernon) hit an RBI standup double. Shackle was able to cross home plate due to a bad throw by Alma's right fielder, ending the inning with a 4-2 Trine lead.
Alma shortened Trine's lead to one when Alex Peczynski hit an RBI standup triple in the top of the fifth.
Ben Wheaton (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Central) improved his record to 3-1. Wheaton had two strikeouts and did not walk anyone in his six innings of work.
Jake Weimer (Pittsboro, Ind. / Brownsburg) was credited the save. He now has three saves on the season.
Game Two: Trine 7, Alma 6
The Scots drew first blood in the top of the third with an RBI base hit by Adam Thoryk. Yoan De La Rosa added another run for Alma with his RBI base hit. Nick Swanson improved the Scots' lead to 4-0 over Trine with a two-run standup double to close out the top of the third.
A two-RBI base hit by Doug Walters in the top of the sixth added two more runs to the Scots score, making the Scots lead 6-0 over the Thunder
Palmer got Trine on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run base hit that turned into a triple due to a throwing error by Alma's center fielder.
A balk by Alma's pitcher, Alex Valasek, allowed Zach Thorn (Portage, Ind. / Portage) to cross home plate in the bottom of the seventh. A RBI base hit by Zachary Schulte (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Warren Cousino) added another run to Trine's score. The inning ended with Alma still on top 6-4 over Trine.
Ross' first RBI base hit allowed Trine to pull within one from tying the score up. A RBI base hit by Shackle tied the score back up to six-apiece in the bottom of the eighth.
A bases-loaded walk-off RBI base hit by Ross secured the comeback win over Alma.
Christian Jones (Poseyville, Ind. / North Posey) was credited with his first win and is now 1-0. In his two innings of pitching he did not give up any runs and only one hit.
The Thunder return to action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Alma for a MIAA conference doubleheader and to finish the series between the teams. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Article contributed by Cody Konieczki, Trine University, Communications '17