SAN ANTONIO – The fifth-ranked Trinity baseball team opened up a three-game weekend series by splitting a Saturday doubleheader with Hardin-Simmons University, dropping the opener 2-1 but winning the second game 6-5 in 10 innings.

Trinity stands 2-3 after the Saturday split, while Hardin-Simmons notched its first win of the young season and is 1-4.

Hunter Nevilles (Corpus Christi, Texas / Calallen) slashed a game-winnning, two-run single to right with one out in the bottom of the 10th of game two, helping Trinity to salvage a doubleheader split.
The Tigers tied the opening game with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Hardin-Simmons reclaimed the lead with a run of its own in the ninth to take the 2-1 lead. Trinity rallied again in the ninth, but the potential game-tying run was thrown out at the plate to end the game.

In game two, Trinity jumped out to a 4-0 lead and was cruising through five shutout innings defensively. The Cowboys scratched across a run in the sixth to break up the shutout, then shocked the Tigers with three more in the eighth to tie things up at 4-4.

Trinity hit into inning-ending double plays in both the eighth and ninth innings, and Hardin-Simmons finally took advantage in the 10th with a leadoff homer to take a 5-4 lead. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 10th, setting up the game-winning hit by Nevilles.

Joseph Chavana (Laredo, Texas / Alexander) took the loss in the opening game, falling to 0-2 on the season despite allowing just two runs in a complete-game effort. He struck out six and scattered nine hits over nine innings, walking just two batters. Jack Martinez (Corpus Christi, Texas / Ray) got the win in relief in game two, improving to 1-0 this year. He struck out five batters over the final 2.1 innings, allowing a run on just two hits.

The Rundown, Game 1
Hardin-Simmons started off the game with a double and scored an early run to take a 1-0 lead over the Tigers. Trinity didn't get a runner past second base until the eighth inning when the Tigers tied things up at 1-1.

The inning began with Jack Peterson (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) drawing a leadoff walk, then stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error. Ty Preston (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) delivered an RBI single up the middle to tie things up.

A leadoff double in the top of the ninth resulted in another run for the Cowboys, putting the pressure back on the Tigers in the bottom of the inning. Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) led off the ninth with a single to left-center, then Michael Montrezza (Los Gatos, Calif. / Leigh) delivered a single through the left side of the infield with a runner at second. Instead of tying things up, though, Trinity was thrown out at home to end the game.

The Rundown, Game 2
Hardin-Simmons looked ready to jump in front early once again, loading the bases with two outs in the top of the first inning. Tiger starter Cade McGahan (Davidson, N.C. / Hough) got his third strikeout of the inning to escape without any damage. The Cowboys threatened again in the second, but two more strikeouts by McGahan stranded two more runners.

McGahan's early holds allowed the Tiger offense to get going, beginning with two outs in the second inning. Peterson drew a walk and stole second, then Khal Coney (Los Angeles, Calif. / Crossroads School) sliced a run-scoring double down the right field line in his first collegiate at-bat to put Trinity up 1-0.

Trinity added two more runs in the third as Lazzara and Montrezza both collected RBI and the lead went to 3-0. Nevilles drove in the next run in the fourth to make it 4-0 and the Tigers looked like they could cruise to victory in game two.

The Cowboys chased McGahan from the game with back-to-back singles in the fifth, then finally got on the board with a two-out single in the sixth. The Tigers were still in control of the game, though, until the eighth inning.

In that inning, Trinity got the first two batters out before allowing a four-pitch walk to put a runner on base. A bloop single to center was combined with an error to bring in a run, then another single fell between two Tiger fielders to make it 4-3. Another walk put two runners on again, and Hardin-Simmons then smashed a 3-0 pitch into right field for a game-tying hit.
Trinity had two runners on in both the eighth and ninth, but double plays ended the threats and the game continued into the 10th. Following the solo homer for Hardin-Simmons, Trinity was down 5-4 heading into the 10th.

Coney was hit by a pitch to lead off the 10th, then moved to second on a sac bunt to put the tying run in scoring position. A walk by Korson Hastings (San Antonio, Texas / Churchill) put two runners on, then Preston was also hit by a pitch to load the bases for Nevilles. He wasted no time going for the game-winner, swinging away on the first pitch to end the doubleheader.

Up Next
Trinity and Hardin-Simmons will conclude the weekend series with a single game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. The Tigers will be back at home for another three-game series, hosting Babson College Friday-Sunday, February 24-26.