San Antonio - The fourth-ranked and top seed Tiger baseball team opened the 2014 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a 4-3 victory over Southwestern University on Friday afternoon.

Trinity opened the game with two runs in the bottom of the first, then had to hang on in the end to earn the narrow victory.  The Tigers improved to 31-8 overall this season, while Southwestern falls to 14-27 with the loss.

The Tigers took a 3-0 lead on a solo home run by Christian Muscarello in the third, but the Pirates rallied with runs in the fourth and eighth to cut the lead to just one.  Trinity answered with a key insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Southwestern scored on a two-out single to center from Clayton Sparks in the ninth, but after a misplayed ball in the outfield, Sparks was thrown out at second to end the game.

Trent Rape (2-0) allowed just two runs on seven hits through seven innings, striking out five battres.  Kevin Flores earned the save (second of the season), finishing off the final two innings.  Flores came in the game with runners in scoring position in the eighth, striking out the side to keep Trinity in the lead.

Austin Singer was the only Tiger player with more than one hit, going 2-4 with two runs scored.  Singer drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first, following his diving catch to end the top of the first.  Singer came charging in from right field with two men on and two outs, saving the Tigers from allowing a first-inning score.  Pat Hirschberg and Jeremy Wolf both picked up RBI for the Tigers.

Trinity advances to face #2 seed Texas Lutheran University tomorrow at noon.  The winner of that game advances to Sunday's SCAC Championship.  The losing team will face either Southwestern or #3 Centenary College tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.