ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University baseball team dropped the opening game of a three-game series to Alma College on Friday afternoon, 7-2. The Thunder fall to 13-14 overall this season and 4-5 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) while the Scots are 11-15-1 in 2023 and 6-3 inside the conference.
Starting pitcher Cam Nagel twirled a perfect top of the first inning with a groundout right back to him, a strikeout and a flyball out to right. Matthew Martin and Adam Stefanelli reached base on balls in the bottom half of the frame and Martin swiped a bag as well to get into scoring position, but Trine was unable to get a clutch hit with a runner in scoring position.
Alma took the lead with two runs scored in the top of the second. A pair of hits, including an RBI double down the left field line, helped plate two. A two-out double by Preston Henschen was converted into a run by Daniel Rumberger with an RBI single to make it 2-1.
After surrendering a run, Nagel settled down for three straight outs in the third inning and allowed one baserunner on a strikeout-wild pitch combination. In the bottom of the fourth, Stefanelli led off the frame with a single and Joel Walton moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Avery Fulford lifted a single into shallow center field for the RBI to knot the game up at 2-2.
Right away in the fifth, the Scots were able to tack on three runs with a delayed steal of home and a two-run homerun. In an effort to get back in the scoring column, Tyler Robinson pushed Martin over with a sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved him to third, but the Thunder were unable to scratch a run across.
After finishing six innings of work, Trine turned to Cole Decker in relief. The first two runners got on base for Alma, but a sacrifice bunt that went awry turned into two outs for the Thunder and got the home team out of the inning unscathed. The left-hander worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth, but once again, Trine put up a zero.
The bottom of the eighth started with a Cory Erbskorn hit by pitch, but the team was unable to bring him around the bases. The pitching staff was only able to keep things close for so long as the Scots pulled away with two more runs in the ninth inning. Rumberger laced a two-out double down the left field line, but the runner was left in scoring position as the game came to a close.
Henschen and Rumberger had two hits apiece from the bottom of the order, including a double for each of them. Fulford and Rumberger had RBIs. Nagel (3-4) received the loss on the mound with six innings, six hits, five runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
Trine continues the MIAA season on Saturday, April 15 when the Thunder make the trip north to Alma for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
