SAN ANTONIO – The 10th-ranked Trinity University baseball team finished off a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference weekend series against Centenary College (LA) with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, winning 6-1 and 18-7 to also earn a series sweep.
The Tigers (26-7, 21-3 SCAC) hammered out 24 total runs on 26 hits to win today's games against the Gents (14-19, 10-13 SCAC), sweeping the regular season series for the second time in the last three years. Trinity also took game one by a run-rule on Friday night, winning 13-2.
Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) and
Maddox McDonald (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) led Trinity's offensive attack in today's game, picking up five hits each, and combining for seven runs and eight RBI.
Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) and
Michael Lustina (Austin, Texas / Westlake) had four hits in the two games, while
Brandon Nelson (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) did most of his damage in game two with two home runs and five RBI. Woodward went 2-for-3 in the opener, then went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in game two. McDonald had a homer and two RBI in game one, topping that by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs, scored, and four RBI. Lustina and Lazzara had two hits in each game and while Lazzara added three RBI in the series finale, Lustina had two RBI in the first game and three runs scored in the second.
Brandon Morio (Austin, Texas / McNeil) improved to 5-0 this season after throwing 6.0 shutout innings in the first game of the day, allowing just two hits and striking out eight batters.
Jack Briese (Danville, Ky. / Boyle County) threw the final 3.0 innings to snag his third save of the year, allowing just one run on three hits to go with two strikeouts.
Will Taylor (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Cherry Creek) made an early relief appearance in game two, pitching the final 4.2 innings to earn the win and improve to 3-0 this season. He allowed one unearned run and just one hit to shut down Centenary's offense, adding three strikeouts.
The Rundown, Vol. 1
Morio struck out the side to open the day, setting the tone for the Tigers from the start. The offense answered the call with a three-run bottom half of the inning, staking their starter to an early lead. With a couple of hits and a walk, Trinity loaded the bases with two outs. A passed ball brought in the first run, then Lustina drove in two more to push the lead to 3-0.
Trinity turned two double plays in the next three innings to keep the Gents from mounting a comeback, answering both of Centenary's hits against Morio with the rally-killing plays. The Tigers added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth, sparked by the bottom of the lineup.
Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) drew a one-out walk, then
Cam Champness (Katy, Texas / Taylor) doubled to set up the top of the order. Woodward lofted a sac fly to deep right, then McDonald bounced a single up the middle to score the runs and make it a 5-0 lead.
Morio retired the final seven hitters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts to finish off his sixth and final inning. Centenary greeted Briese with a double that eventually came into score to break up the shutout, but he struck out the final batter of the inning to keep the comfortable lead. McDonald launched a solo homer in the eighth to account for Trinity's final run, then Briese induced a game-ending double play to finish off the victory.
The Rundown, Vol. 2
After scoring just three runs in the first two games against Tiger pitching, Centenary's offense came to life early in game two. The Gents scored twice in the first to take the early lead, but Trinity answered with a prolific first inning of its own. Woodward singled to start things off, then McDonald hit a ground-rule double to put both runners in scoring position. Lazzara drove in the first run with a ground ball to second, then
Will Baker (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) followed a walk by
Max Milligan (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo) with another RBI ground out to tie the game. Nelson put the Tigers in front with a two-run homer that made it a 4-2 game after just one inning.
The lead was short-lived as Centenary pounded out four more hits in the second inning, scoring three runs to take a 5-4 lead. The Tigers went down in order in the bottom of the inning and the Gents pounced for another run in the third to make it 6-4. Taylor got a strikeout to strand the bases loaded, though, keeping the game close. After another 1-2-3 inning for Trinity's offense, it looked like the Gents had all the momentum; however, Taylor also had an easy 10-pitch inning that saw Centenary ground out three times.
That left the door open for the Tiger offense and the bottom of the fourth put them on a scoring spree that would swing the momentum away from the visitors and put the game to rest. After two walks and two wild pitches, Trinity had its first run of the fourth to make it 6-5. Two batters later,
John Ramsey (Austin, Texas / Westwood) knocked in the tying run, followed by a single from Woodward that loaded the bases. McDonald just missed a grand slam with a deep sac fly to center to put Trinity in front 7-6 and close out the three-run inning.
After Taylor upped his streak to seven straight batters retired, Trinity's offense went back to work in the fifth. Milligan doubled to start things off, then Baker walked to bring up Nelson. The Tiger DH scorched his second home run of the day to put his team up 10-6, but Trinity wasn't done with what was the deciding inning. Lustina restarted things for the Tigers with a single, then Woodward drove him home three batters later to make it 11-6. McDonald then doubled to score Ramsey – who had been hit by a pitch prior to Woodward's hit – and Lazzara singled to make it a 13-6 game and a six-run inning.
Two errors in the sixth allowed Centenary to bring in the only run allowed by Taylor, but it was not nearly enough as Trinity remained red-hot at the plate. Nelson was hit by the first pitch of the Tiger half of the sixth, then scored on Lustina's double down the left field line to get back the run from the top of the inning and take a 14-7 lead. After a lineout to short, Ramsey and Woodward were both hit by pitches to load the bases. McDonald singled home two of the runners, then Lazzara slashed an RBI single to center to keep the carousel of runs going. Milligan had a sac fly to left to make it 18-7, capping a five-run inning that featured just three hits. Centenary singled to start the seventh in hopes of a rally to extend the game, but Taylor induced a double play to smash that dream, then got another ground out to end the game.
Up Next
Trinity will hit the road for its next four games, including the final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday. The Tigers face off against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) in Belton at 6:00 p.m.
