SEGUIN, Texas – No. 19 Trinity University Baseball fell 9-7 at Texas Lutheran University Saturday, ceding the weekend's three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series to its host with a Sunday matinee left to go.
The Tigers (12-8; 3-2 SCAC) overcame a six-run first inning from the Bulldogs (10-11; 3-2 SCAC) to trail by just one run, 8-7, through five innings but could not muster another quality scoring change before time ran out.
Senior
Ezra Gore (Dallas, Texas / McKinney North) and junior
Jack Peterson (Round Rock, Texas), Saturday's left and centerfielders, led the way with four of Trinity's RBI for the day. Gore's first-inning knock cushioned the blow of the six-run TLU outburst in the bottom of the inning while Peterson logged a two-RBI triple to put the Tigers back on the comeback trail in the fourth.
After the dust settled, sophomore righthander
Jack Martinez (Corpus Christi, Texas / Ray) kept the Bulldogs to just one run in the final four-and-a-third as he logged six strikeouts to just two hits and a seventh-inning sacrifice fly in relief of junior
Cade McGahan (Davidson, N.C. / Hough), the day's starting arm.
Junior rightfielder
Hunter Nevilles (Corpus Christi, Texas / Calallen) was involved in three of Trinity's runs through the first four innings as he was the second to cross the plate on Gore's first-inning knock, the lone scorer through a fielding error in the third and plated Peterson with a sacrifice fly to finish off the three-run fourth started by Peterson's triple.
Senior shortstop
Michael Montrezza (Los Gatos, Calif. / Leigh) put the Tigers back to their one-run margin, 8-7, in the fifth as he drove in senior catcher
Tyler Pettit (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) on a base hit up the middle.
No. 19 Trinity Baseball will look to keep an advantage on the Bulldogs in the SCAC standings tomorrow and avoid the weekend sweep with the third contest of the conference series in Seguin, slated for a Noon first pitch.
The Tigers return to San Antonio Tuesday to host University of Mary Hardin-Baylor ahead of next weekend's home SCAC series with reigning SCAC tournament champion Centenary College (March 31-April 1).
