Angola, Ind. – Trine baseball split with Alma in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Jannen Field.
Trine took game one in walk-off fashion. Jacob Heller (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Prairie Heights) was able to hit a walk-off RBI sac fly to finalize a late comeback from a two-run deficit. The Scots answered with the victory in game two. J.J. LaBounty (Avon, Ind. / Covenant Christian) led the offense with two RBIs. Heller and Chase Hall (Orleans, Ind. / Orleans) each had one RBI. Trine is now 13-8 overall and 7-5 in the MIAA. Alma is 8-16 overall, 6-6 in conference play.
Heller's sac fly in the bottom of the seventh gave the Thunder the game one victory.
The Scots struck first in the top of the fifth inning when Vann Acker hit an RBI double and Max Trucks hit an RBI single to put Alma up 2-0 over Trine.
Grant Frankland (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) had six strikeouts, one walk and allowed two runs (none earned) in 6.1 innings of work on the mound. He set a career high with his six strikeouts.
The Thunder got one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Hall hit an RBI ground out. A wild pitch by the Scots allowed Heller to come home from third and tie the game back up to two apiece in the bottom of the sixth.
A single by Ben Pritchett (Fishers, Ind. / Fishers), a hit-by-pitch and a walk drawn by Colton Conn (Cincinnati, Ohio / Indian Hill) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Heller lofted a fly ball to center field to score Pritchett with the winning run and give Trine the victory.
Jacob Stauffer (Elkhart, Ind. / Concord) earned the win in relief. He induced a double-play to get out of trouble in the seventh. His record improves to 2-1
Josh Riggs was credited with the loss, but carried a no hitter into the sixth inning. Riggs' record falls to 1-3. He worked 6.1 innings, allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked two and struck out four.
Game Two: Alma 8, Trine 3
Eric Frontzak got the win for the Scots on the mound. His record improved to 4-2. He worked the complete game, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Alma scored in each of the first three innings to go up 6-0 over Trine. The Scots scored three in the first, two in the second and one in the third. Jaret Koin drove in two runs for Alma. Greg Goffee, Alex Peczynski, Adam Thoryk and Ben Finzel each added a single RBI in the game.
In the bottom of the sixth, LaBounty got the Thunder on board with a long two-RBI single with the bases loaded. A runner scored on a double play for the third run of the inning.
The Scots scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh for the final margin.
Trine returns to action Thursday, April 13, when it travels to face MIAA opponent, Kalamazoo, for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Article contributed by Cody Konieczki, Trine University '17