By Brian Yancelson

SAN ANTONIO – The 18th-ranked Trinity baseball team picked up their second consecutive victory as they downed non-conference foe McMurry University 13-9 on Tuesday night.

The Tigers bounced back from a 6-0 deficit in the first inning by pummeling 18 hits, matching their season high that they set just six nights ago. The Tigers took the lead in the fifth inning and then again for the final time in the seventh inning. Trinity improved to 7-5 with the win, while McMurry fell to 7-11 on the season.

Shortstop Tanner Haney (Waco, Texas / Reicher Catholic) drove in three runs on three hits and came around to score twice while right fielder Ezra Gore (Dallas, Texas / McKinney North) added three base-knocks himself, one of which was a two-run home run. Eight Tiger pitchers saw time on the mound, with Matthew Mackey (Houston, Texas / Lamar) recording the win thanks to two strikeouts in two scoreless frames to finish the game.

The Rundown

McMurry jumped all over Trinity starting pitcher Harrison Durow (Dallas, Texas / Lovejoy), knocking him out by scoring six runs in the first, five of which were credited to the sophomore starter. Reliever Joseph Chavana (Laredo, Texas / J.B. Alexander) became responsible for the sixth of those McMurry runs after he came in to get the final two outs of the first inning.

Cam Sheets (Houston, Texas / Memorial) held things steady for Trinity, keeping the War Hawks off the board in his two innings out of the bullpen. This allowed the Tiger offense to heat up, which they did in the fourth inning. Left fielder Ty Preston (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) got the party started with a single that brought home two Tigers. Haney followed that up with a single that scored two more and Gore quickly added another tally to the board to pull Trinity within one, trailing just 6-5.

Jonathan Newman (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) replaced Sheets and continued to keep McMurry quiet with two shutout innings in which he only gave up a hit and a walk. This opened the door for the Tigers to jump ahead in the home-half of the fifth inning. Center fielder Jack Peterson (Round Rock, TX / Round Rock) reached on a McMurry error that let two Trinity runners cross home and gave the Tigers their first lead of the night.

Samuel Conte (Boston, Mass. / Phillips Academy) delivered a scoreless inning before first baseman MJ Metz (San Diego, Calif. / Canyon Crest Academy) blasted a solo-shot deep into the night, increasing Trinity's advantage to 8-6. McMurry fought back to tie the game off Jack Martinez (Corpus Christi, Texas / Ray), but the even score didn't escape the seventh inning. 

After the fans stretched, second baseman Colt Harris (Katy, Texas / Houston Christian) scurried home on a wild pitch to reclaim the lead for the Tigers at 9-8. The Tigers never looked back after that as Haney notched his third hit and RBI of the evening, followed by Gore clobbering a ball that just over the tall left-field wall for a two-run round-tripper.

In the Tigers' final time to the plate, Peterson added a double that ushered in Trinity's final run of the evening. Mackey navigated his way through the War Hawks' lineup in the eighth and ninth innings without giving up a run to stamp his seal on the 13-9 victory. 

Numbers to Note

The Tigers collected 18 hits for the second consecutive game, matching their season high that they set on March 9 against DeSales University. Trinity also plated double-digit runs for the fifth time in 2022. 

Preston picked up his first career hit in his first start of the young season, while Mackey earned his second career victory and his first of the 2022 season.

Harris joined Haney and Gore to make a trio of Trinity hitters that snagged three hits each. Harris also led the team with three runs scored in the game.

Up Next

Trinity gets conference play rolling when the Southwestern University Pirates float into San Antonio for a three game series that begins on Friday, March 18. The War Hawks head home to face conference rival East Texas Baptist University this upcoming weekend.

Brian Yancelson
Tiger Network

Pursuing a major in Communication with double minors in Political Science and Sport Management from Trinity, Brian entered his junior year in the fall of 2021. Formerly the Sports Editor of the Trinitonian, Brian helped oversee its transition to an all-digital format for the publication. The San Antonio-native is now a staple of the Tiger Network production process as a broadcaster and produces video and written content for the Trinity Athletics department.

The 2019 Alamo Heights High School graduate was a Kid Reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids starting in eighth grade through his sophomore year: a position that granted him the opportunity to attend professional sporting events as a member of the press and publish over 30 articles on the SI Kids website, sparking his interest in, and continued passion for, sports journalism.