Abilene, Texas – The newly-minted #1 Trinity University baseball team jumped in front early to secure a 10-5 road win over McMurry (Texas) University on Tuesday evening.

The Rundown

The Tigers got the bats going early with four runs on two hits in the top of the first to take the early lead. After sandwiching a double between two walks to load the bases, Jack Vonderhaar (Woodinville, Wash. / Redmond) crushed a grand slam to account for the four-run inning.

Trinity kept it going in the second inning as well, adding two more runs on three more hits to take a 6-0 lead. Rafe Chaumette (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements) got the inning going with his run-scoring single. McMurry got two of the runs back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run single. The home team also took advantage of a passed ball to make one of those runs unearned.

After an uneventful third inning by both teams, Vonderhaar went back to work in the fourth, plating two more runs to put the Tigers up 8-2 at the time.

Trinity added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings to reach double digits, scoring on an RBI double from Mason Meredith (Houston, Texas / Memorial), and a solo homer off the bat of Michael Herrera (Phoenix, Ariz. / Sunrise Mountain).

The War Hawks attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth with three unearned runs, but the Tigers held on in the end to take the win.

Trinity has now won 10 consecutive games, dating back to last season. The Tigers won three straight games before the season was shut down, and the team now stands 7-0 to start 2021.

Numbers to Note

Vonderhaar finished with a career-high six RBI in the game, going 2-4 with his third home run of the season.

Herrera went 2-3 with two walks and three runs scored, hitting his second round-tripper of the young season.

Jack Baker (Sugar Land, Texas / Ridge Point) finished with a double and two runs scored, while Meredith and Brian Schaub (Hatfield, Pa. / La Salle College HS) joined Herrera in drawing two walks each.

Joseph Chavana (2-0) (Laredo, Texas / J.B. Alexander) earned the win by striking out seven batters over 5.0 innings of work, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits.

Up Next

The top-ranked Tigers are back on the road this weekend, traveling to Alpine, Texas, for a three-game series against Sul Ross State University. The opening game of the series will be Friday at 7:00 p.m.