San Antonio – The Trinity Tigers baseball
tream split a SCAC doubleheader with the defending champion Hendrix
Warriors Saturday at E.M. Stevemns Field.
Hendrix (12-13, 5-9 SCAC), which beat Trinity in last
year's SCAC final, won the opening seven-inning game 9-2.
Trinity (20-7, 8-4 SCAC) took the second half of the doubleheader
7-5. The Warriors won two games with the Tigers last February in
Conway, Ark.
The two teams will conclude their series Sunday, with a single
game at 1 p.m.
Trinity took an early 1-0 lead in Saturday's first game,
but Hendrix scored four runs in the fourth inning to pull ahead,
keyed by a two-run homer. The Warriors added five more runs in the
sixth, sparked by a grand slam home run. Trinity picked up one more
run in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough to catch
Hendrix
Nick Pappas batted 2-3, with one RBI. Junior right-hander Noah
Solomon was the first of three Tiger pitchers, and took the loss.
Solomon (3-2) allowed four earned runs, six hits, three walks, and
struck out four batters, in 3 1/3 innings of work.
The Tigers took a 4-1 lead in the second game, scoring two runs
in each of the first and second innings. Trinity added two more
runs in the fourth inning, and led 6-2. Hendrix closed the
gap with a three-run homer in the eighth inning, but after a
two-out base hit by Hendrix in the ninth, the Tigers were able to
close out the game.
Pappas had two RBI in the second game, and three for the
day. Kyle Felix, who went 2-4 with one RBI and one run,
smacked two doubles in the game. Hall batted 3-4 with one RBI and
two runs scored. Junior outfielder Kevin Jackson was 2-4 with two
RBI and one run, while first-year third baseman Kevin Francke hit
2-3, and scored two runs.
Sophomore right-hander Ben Klimesh hurled eight innings, and
took home the victory. Klimmesh (4-0) allowed five earned runs,
eight hits, five walks, and fanned nine Hendrix batters. First-year
right-handed pitcher Tanner Barron took over in the ninth inning,
and earned his first save of the season. Barron gave up one hit in
the inning.
Following tomorrow's series finale with Hendrix, the Tigers will
next host Southwestern for a two-game SCAC weekend series that will
begin on Friday, April 2.
