AUSTIN, Texas – The 15th-ranked Trinity University baseball team clinched a three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference road series with a 3-2 comeback win over Concordia University (TX) on Sunday.
The Tigers improved their conference and overall record to 8-1 with the win and are the sole team at the top of the SCAC standings through three weeks of conference play. Concordia saw their record fall to 9-4 (5-4 SCAC), while Trinity improved their all-time record against Concordia to 19-16 and won the first conference series between the two sides.
Trajan Lee (Dallas, Texas / John Paul II) was the winning pitcher, coming on in relief and pitching 3.1 innings with only one earned run allowed. Lee completed a pitcher's relay with
Jace Clay (Missouri City, Texas Strake Jesuit), who started the game and pitched 5.2 one-run innings, to help put the Tiger bats in a position to make a comeback in the later part of the game.
Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) and
Maddox McDonald (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) each started their game with a hit in the top of the first inning and got into scoring position but Trinity could not score either runner. Clay locked in and kept the Tornado bats in check, only allowing two hits through the first four innings. Concordia moved a pinch runner into scoring position and brought him home with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 1-0 advantage Concordia.
Trinity responded with a run of its own in the top of the sixth, with McDonald hitting a sacrifice fly to help Woodward come in to score the first Tiger run to make it 1-1. An ill-timed balk helped Concordia score their next run in the bottom of the seventh when Concordia hit a ground ball to drive in run number two for them. Lee was not deterred and struck out the next batter to send it to the top of the eighth.
The dynamic duo of Woodward and McDonald struck again in the top of the eighth. Woodward drew a walk to set up McDonald's RBI double to even the score at 2-2.
Max Milligan (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo) helped what would ultimately be the winning run come in to score by putting a ball in play for an RBI fielder's choice that drove in McDonald. Lee shut down the Tornados in the bottom of the eighth and ninth to seal the series for the Tigers with a 3-2 victory in the rubber match.
Up Next
Trinity Baseball is hitting the road once again, this time for their non-conference opener in Abilene, Texas to take on Hardin-Simmons on Wednesday, March 5th at 5:00 PM. The Tigers won't be gone for long, returning to San Antonio to host another SCAC series against McMurry from March 7th to March 9th.
