AUBURNDALE, Fl. – The Trine University baseball team wrapped up play in Florida on Friday with a doubleheader against Mount St. Joseph University. The Thunder (5-6) defeated the Lions (5-7) in game one by a score of 3-2 and came up short 15-1 in the second outing.
GAME ONE RECAP:
The first two hitters for Mount St. Joseph reached base on a walk and single through the ride side of the infield, but sophomore right-hander Josh Hoogewerf [Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point] slammed the door shut with three consecutive punchouts. Singles by Easton Rhodes [Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb] and Brenden Warner [Richland, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Prep] with two away in the bottom half of the inning threatened, but the Lions were able to escape the jam.
Hoogewerf added two more K's in the second, but in the third Mount St. Joseph got on the board with a solo homerun. A throwing error in the fourth would allow a second run to cross the plate for the Lions to give them a 2-0 advantage.
A leadoff single by Adam Stefanelli [Westerville, Ohio / Westerville North] went by the wayside after he was moved to second base by a Matt Weis [Trenton, Ill. / Triad] sacrifice bunt.
The sixth inning would provide the opportunity for the Thunder to string together some offense. Avery Fulford [Conifer, Colo. / Conifer] led off with a single into right field and Warner reached with an infield single as well to put two on with one out. Dalton Nikirk [Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence] gave Trine their first run of the ballgame with an RBI single to the left side.
Stefanelli came through in the clutch with two on and two outs for a double that scored Warner and Nikirk to go up 3-2.
Jeff Ballard [Munster, Ind. / Munster], who entered the game in the fifth to induce an inning-ending groundball double play, recorded a 1-2-3 inning to earn the victory on the hill for the Thunder. Hoogewerf received a no decision after 5.1 innings of work with five hits, one earned run, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Fulford, Warner and Stefanelli had multi-hit games for the Trien offense. Rhodes and Nikirk were responsible for one hit apiece.
GAME TWO RECAP:
After a scoreless first inning, the Lions sent 11 to the dish in a six-run bottom of the second to take a commanding lead.
A Warner double and Rhodes single in the top of the fourth put some traffic on the basepaths. Trine trickery with an attempted steal allowed Warner to score from third to make it 6-1. Mount St. Joseph answered that with a solo homerun and plated an unearned run later in the frame to go up 8-1.
Mount St. Joseph added on in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach, but the effort never let up from the Thunder at the plate. Trine loaded the bases in the top of the sixth thanks to Tyler Drope [Marysville, Ohio / Marysville], Joel Walton [Fortville, Ind. / Mt. Vernon] and Quin Fauquher [Muncie, Ind. / Yorktown], but unfortunately were all left on base.
Preston Henschen [Fort Wayne, Ind. / Columbia City], Jacob Medvescek [Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville] and Robert Kortas [New Baltimore, Mich. / Anchor Bay] all recorded base hits in the seventh, but once again the Thunder were unable to score in the inning as the game wrapped up at 15-1.
Trine had 11 hits, tied for the second-most in a game this season. 10 different players notched a hit, led by Rhodes in a 2-for-2 effort. Bryce Bloode [New Carlisle, Ind. / New Prairie] received the loss after 3.2 innings of work on the mound.
Upon returning to the Hoosier state, the Trine baseball team will hit the road at Manchester University for a single game on Wednesday, March 16. First pitch is set for 4:15 pm.
