SAN ANTONIO - The 15th-ranked Trinity University Baseball team opened its season with a 10-2 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win against Austin College.

Trinity (1-0, 1-0 SCAC) earned the victory in cold, foggy, wet conditions that made the field a slip-n-slide. Trajan Lee (Dallas, Texas / John Paul II) collected his first win of the season thanks to his strong eight strikeout performance on the mound. Brandon Morio (Austin, Texas / McNeil) was efficient in relief, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and striking out 4 batters. Maddox McDonald (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) got his season off to a hot start by going 2-3 with a double and 3 RBI. In addition to winning opening day for the season, the Tigers also improved to 1-0 in SCAC play.

The Rundown

Lee got things started by getting out of a jam, striking out the side in the top of the first. He ran into trouble again in the top of the second when Austin College opened the scoring with a run. Trinity struck back in the bottom of the third after McDonald opened the inning with a double into right field. After he advanced to third on a wild pitch, he came in to score the Tigers first run of the season on a double steal.

The Tigers were just getting started. In the bottom of the fourth Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) hit an RBI triple to drive in Michael Lustina (Austin, Texas / Westlake) to take the lead. McDonald then hit a sacrifice fly to bring Tinker home and make it a 3-1 game. Austin College closed the gap by scoring a run in the top of the fifth, but the Tigers didn't take that too kindly and responded with a Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) RBI double.

It was all Tigers after that. The bottom of the seventh saw Tinker come in to score off an error, and McDonald hit a two-RBI double to make it 7-2. Trinity put up another three-spot in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to Nicholas Jones (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) hitting a two-RBI triple into left center field to clear the bases and increase the Tiger lead to 10-2. Clayton Jackson (Allen, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) came in to pitch for Trinity in the top of the ninth and ended the game by striking out the side.

Up Next

The Tigers hit the turf again tomorrow for a doubleheader against Austin College, with the first pitch slated for 1 PM.