ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University baseball team dropped the series opener at home on Friday versus Kalamazoo College by a score of 15-2. The Thunder fall to 10-20 overall and 2-11 inside the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) while the Hornets advance to 20-8 and 9-4 in the league.
Kalamazoo was taking out their frustrations after a 14-0 loss at the hands of Hope College earlier in the week and broke the game open with five runs in the top of the first. The Hornets added six more in the second to chase the starting pitcher Josh Hoogewerf (2-5) from the game.
Kalamazoo added an additional run to go up 12-0 through three innings, but reliver Will Gimbel worked a scoreless fourth to set up the Trine offense. Daniel Rumberger led off the frame with a triple into center field. The next batter saw Dalton Nikirk drive in a run with a sacrifice fly and then Joel Walton cranked a solo homerun to left to cut the deficit to 12-2. The opponents would continue to add on later in the game and won 15-2 in seven innings.
Rumberger and Walton combined for four of the team's five hits. Cole Decker had a scoreless 1.1 innings of work, but allowed two inherited runners to cross the plate.
The series continues with a road doubleheader on Sunday, April 21 at Kalamazoo beginning at 1 p.m.