Box Score McMinnville, Oregon - Trinity's baseball team
opened up the McMinnville Regional Tournament with a 4-3 loss to
Chapman University on Wednesday afternoon at Linfield College.
Trinity (32-8) had its 13-game winning streak snapped with the
loss, falling for the first time since March 27 against Hendrix
College. It also marks just the second time the Tigers have
lost the opening game of the NCAA Playoffs.
Ben Klimesh (7-1) was charged with his first loss of the season,
giving up just four runs through seven innings of work, and
striking out four batters. He did yield eight walks in the
game - three of which came around to score - but he also forced
Chapman to strand seven runners on base.
Brian Rauh went the distance for Chapman, giving up three runs -
two earned - on five hits, and striking out 11 Tiger batters.
Rauh also walked six Trinity hitters, and defensively, Chapman
committed three errors. All told, Trinity left 12 players on
base in the game.
Trinity opened the scoring with a run in the third inning, but
another potential run was thrown out at home in the inning.
That left the door open for Chapman, which tied the game on a solo
homer by Tyler Hadzinsky in the bottom of the inning.
In the fourth, with two men on and two outs, Chapman's Ryan Hall
hit a two-run double that put the Panthers ahead 3-1. The
Tigers answered right back with an RBI single from Kevin
Calbick to make it 3-2, but in the seventh, Chapman scored an
insurance run on a single to left field.
Trinity loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth
inning, but managed just one run on a Dylan Early sacrifice fly,
and Chapman was able to hold on for the win.
Calbick finished with two of Trinity's five hits in the game,
while Kevin Jackson scored a pair of runs. Dominick Robusto
was 1-3 with one run and one RBI, drawing two walks in the game.
Trinity returns to action at noon (Pacific) tomorrow, facing off
against either hosting Linfield College or Mississippi College in
an elimination game. The winner of that game would advance to
play at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.