By Brian Yancelson

SAN ANTONIO – The 17th-ranked Trinity baseball team defeated non-conference opponent DeSales University (PA) 12-2 on Wednesday night.

The Tigers exploded for a season high 18 hits and jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the third inning that they never squandered. Trinity improved to 6-5 on the season while DeSales fell to 5-5 in their 2022 campaign.

Ezra Gore (Dallas, Texas / McKinney North) drove in three runs on four hits while also scoring twice, and Jack Vonderhaar (Woodinville, WA / Redmond) brought around three Tigers as well on two base knocks. Jack Martinez (Corpus Christi, Texas / Ray) stymied DeSales, allowing just two runs on three hits and striking out four batters in his first career start.

The Rundown

Tanner Haney (Waco, Texas / Reicher Catholic) quickly got the Tigers on the board with a double to left field that scored one run. DeSales responded immediately with an inside-the-park home run that put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1, but that would end up being their last lead of the evening.

MJ Metz (San Diego, CA / Canyon Crest Academy) sneaked a single past the second baseman to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning, and that was just the beginning for the Tigers.

Nicholas Lazzara (Carrolton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) roped a double down the right field line to break the tie before a DeSales error allowed another Tiger to cross the plate. Vonderhaar then crushed a two-bagger into the right-center field gap that scored a run, followed up by Haney's second RBI on a groundout and a run-scoring single by Colt Harris (Katy, TX / Houston Christian). Gore came to the plate for the second time in the inning and crushed a double that shepherded two additional Tigers to the plate and wrapped up the eight-run third inning.

A 9-2 lead proved to be more than enough for Martinez, who only gave up two hits after the DeSales home run. The first-year ran into some issues in the sixth, but he stranded the bases loaded by striking out a Bulldog to complete his first career start.

In the bottom of the sixth Vonderhaar singled home a pair of teammates and Gore drove in his fourth run in the seventh inning to give the Tigers the 12-2 lead that wound up being the final score. Joel Thomas (Scottsdale, AZ / Horizon) struck out four Bulldogs in two shutout innings of relief, and Joseph Chavana (Laredo, TX / J.B. Alexander) sealed the victory with a perfect appearance in the ninth frame.

Numbers to Note

The 18 hits, a season high, were the most for the Tigers since they picked up 19 against conference rival Southwestern University on Feb. 28, 2021. 

With three RBI on Wednesday, Gore took over the team lead with 13 total on the year.

Metz extended his hit streak to nine games with a single in the third inning. The San Diego native now has a hit in all but one game so far in 2022.

Austin Davison (Park City, UT / Rowland Hall) poked a single into left field, reaching base on a hit for the first time since March 11, 2020. Davison's two career hits have both come against DeSales. 

Korson Hastings (San Antonio, TX / Churchill) also made his 2022 debut on Wednesday, and he got into the hit column with a double in the seventh inning.

Up Next

Trinity hosts another non-conference opponent next Tuesday, March 15, as they welcome McMurry University (TX) to campus. DeSales heads back north to kick off their conference as well as their home schedule against Stevens Institute of Technology in Center Valley, PA.

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.