ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University baseball team came up short against the Adrian College Bulldogs 14-3 on Tuesday afternoon to send the team to their 11th straight loss. In total, the Thunder are 8-17 and 0-8 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. The Bulldogs advance to 15-8 and 6-1 in league action.
Sophomore starting pitcher Rylan McBride (0-2) retired the first five batters he saw and worked around a pair of walks for a scoreless first two innings of work. Three hits and a sacrifice bunt for Adrian in the third gave the visitors a 2-0 edge.
The Bulldogs chased the Thunder starter from the game with a solo homerun to begin the fourth. Adrian continued to put the pressure on and made it 5-0 with two more runs off the reliever. Trine responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth after freshman Cole Temple laced a triple into the right center field gap. Senior Dalton Nikirk delivered a run with a sacrifice fly and a fielder's choice off the bat of freshman Nathan Gilmet scored an additional run.
Senior Kade Keele got out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth to keep the score as it was, but a three-run double in the next inning helped to spark a crooked number for the Bulldogs. All told, six runs came across to score and three more in the top of the seventh put the score at 14-2.
Senior Tyler Beyke and freshman Luke Burford singled to begin the seventh and Temple drew a walk to lead the bases for Nikirk. Once again, he drove a flyball to the outfield for his second sacrifice fly of the day to cut into the lead at 14-3, but that would be the final result.
Temple (2-for-3) and senior Daniel Rumberger (2-for-3) had multiple hits for the Thunder, with Temple reaching base a third time. Sophomore Jack Villarreal and junior Noah Brettin each struck out two to pace the pitching staff.
Trine begins a three-game set with Calvin University beginning with a road game on Friday, April 12 at 4 p.m.