ADRIAN, Mich. – The Trine University baseball team dropped a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) mid-week contest to Adrian College, 5-1. The loss drops the Thunder to 13-13 and an even 4-4 in league play. The Bulldogs of Adrian are 12-14 overall and also sit at 4-4 in conference action.
Matthew Martin led off the ballgame with a double the other way to right, but a trio of strikeouts from the Adrian pitcher kept the inning clean. On the other side of the diamond, right-hander Josh Hoogewerf worked around a two-out extra base hit to keep a zero on the board for his side.
Both pitchers found a groove early and the junior Hoogewerf dealt through the first four innings. Neither offense was able to manufacture a run until the fifth when both teams got on the scoreboard.
Jackson O'Keefe began the inning with a single and Preston Henschen doubled into right that put two in scoring position. A mistake pitch by the Bulldogs plated the first run of the ballgame for Trine. A pair of errors thwarted what would have been another zero for Hoogewerf, but instead resulted in two runs for the home team.
Adrian was able to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Hoogewerf kept the team within striking distance with a 1-2-3 seventh. Daniel Rumberger knocked a single into the outfield grass in the eighth, but a groundball double play put an end to the scoring opportunity.
The Thunder pitching staff ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth and the Bulldogs were able to scratch across two more runs to take a 5-1 lead. Three straight outs with their backs against the wall put an end to the game for Trine.
In total, Hoogewerf (4-2) threw 7.2 innings and struck out two while dispersing five hits, five runs (three earned) and two walks. Noah Brettin entered from the bullpen and allowed two inherited runners to score with a single, but no runs fell under his ledger. Along with the team's four hits in the batter's box, Tyler Beyke was able to reach base on a walk.
This weekend features a three-game series between Trine and Alma College. A doubleheader on Saturday, April 15 in the Mitten State kicks off at 1 p.m. and the next day the Thunder will host the final game at Jannen Field.
