Seguin, Texas – The second-ranked Tiger baseball team held on for a 13-12 non-conference road win at Texas Lutheran University on Tuesday night.

Trinity saw a seven-run lead evaporate in the middle innings, then saw another lead erased in the eighth as the Bulldogs rallied to tie the game for the second time. The Tigers got a game-ending double play in the bottom of the ninth to prevent another TLU comeback.

With the win, Trinity improves to 23-3 this season and has won four straight games. Texas Lutheran falls to 19-10 with the loss. The two teams will meet in another non-conference tilt in one week, playing at Trinity on Tuesday, Apri. 27, at 7:00 p.m.

The Rundown

The Tigers were on fire early in the game, jumping out to a 9-1 lead after just two innings of play. Ezra Gore (Dallas, Texas / McKinney North) got the scoring started with his RBI single to center field, followed immediately by a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mason Meredith (Houston, Texas / Memorial) to put Trinity up 2-0.

Texas Lutheran got one run back with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning, but Michael Goodrich (Gilbert, Ariz. / Basha) matched that effort with a solo shot to lead off the second inning. That sparked a seven-run frame for the Tigers and it looked like the visitors were in full control.

Gore drove in two more runs in the prolific second, while Brian Schaub (Hatfield, Pa. / La Salle College HS) and Tyler Pettit (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) both drew walks with the bases loaded to drive in runs. Goodrich came up again later in the inning with another RBI on a sacrifice fly, and Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) joined in on the action with an RBI double.

The Bulldogs added one run in the third to start the comeback, then plated four more runs in the fourth to make it 9-6. Meredith's two-run double in the fifth gave Trinity a little more breathing room, but Texas Lutheran kept coming with three more runs in the bottom of the inning to make it an 11-9 game.

Texas Lutheran tied the game with a two-run homer in the sixth, erasing a seven-run deficit and resetting the game heading into the final three innings.

Schaub doubled to lead off the seventh and Meredith connected for an RBI single to put Trinity back in front 12-11. A leadoff homer in the bottom of the eighth tied things up once again for the home team.

In the ninth, Schaub was hit by a pitch to get the go-ahead run on base, and Pettit drove him in with a one-out single that turned out to be the game-winner.

Texas Lutheran made one final comeback bid in the ninth by putting the first two batters – including the potential winning run – on base. That prompted a move to the bullpen for the Tigers, and Ethan Clark (Cypress, Texas / Cy Fair) proved to be the right move. He struck out his first batter on three pitches, then snagged a line drive that was headed for the outfield. Clark tossed to first for the game-ending double play to earn the save.

Numbers to Note

Six Tiger hitters had at least two hits in the game, led by Gore and his 3-6 performance. He also scored two runs and picked up three RBI.

Meredith finished 2-3 with four RBI and a run scored, while Pettit had two RBI – one of which was the game-winner in the ninth.

Schaub reached base five times in the game, going 2-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. He was also walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

Jack Baker (Sugar Land, Texas / Ridge Point) scored two runs and was one of four players to draw two walks, joining Schaub, Meredith, and Pettit.

Tinker and Jack Wisniewski (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) both went 2-5 in the game, while Wisniewski also scored two runs.

Rafe Chaumette (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements) finished 2-6 with two runs scored as well.

Joseph Chavana (Laredo, Texas / Alexander) pitched 3.0 innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 4-0 this season. Chavana allowed just one run on two hits and was relieved by Clark in the ninth.

Up Next

Trinity will open up a three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown with 19th-ranked Centenary (LA) College with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24. Game one is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.