Conway, Ark. - The Hendrix College Warriors
scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the
Trinity University Tigers 13-12 Saturday in a Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference baseball game at Warrior Field.
Trinity had its first conference loss of the season, and now
stands at 3-1 in SCAC play (8-3 overall). Hendrix, which beat
Trinity in the 2009 SCAC Championship game, improved to 1-4 (SCAC)
and 4-5. The two teams conclude their weekend series with a 1 p.m.
game Sunday. The Tigers and Warriors will also play a three-game
series March 27-28 at E.M. Stevens Field.
The Tigers came barreling out of the gate Saturday, with six
runs in the top of the first inning. Junior outfielder Dylan Early
cracked his third home run of the season, a three-run shot to right
field. Trinity took a 12-2 lead after three innings, punctuated by
five runs in the third. Senior first baseman Evan Jones registered
his fourth round-tripper of the campaign, a three-run home run to
right field.
Hendrix came to life and scored six runs in the bottom of the
seventh, on four hits, and one Trinity error. The Warriors'
five-run ninth inning was produced by three hits and two Tiger
errors.
Jones, from Hillsborough, Calif. (Junipero Serra), batted 3-4
with six RBIs, while scoring two runs. Early, from Santa Monica,
Calif. (Santa Monica), hit 1-2 with three RBIs and one run.
Junior catcher Kyle Felix of Woodside, Calif. (Bellarmine College
Prep), went 2-5 with an RBI and a run.
Junior right-hander Noah Solomon of Austin, Texas (Anderson),
was the first of five Tiger pitchers, and hurled 6.2 innings.
Solomon allowed five runs (one earned), six hits, one walk, and
struck out four batters. Mike Panozzo, a junior right-hander from
Houston (Clear Lake), pitched the final one-third of an inning, and
took his first loss of the season. Panozzo (3-1) allowed one earned
run, one hit and a walk.
Trinity scored 12 earned runs, collected 10 hits, made six
errors, and left seven players on base. Hendrix scored five earned
runs, swatted 12 hits, committed no errors, and stranded 11
players.