BELTON, Texas - The 9th-ranked Trinity University baseball team defeated the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in a commanding 15–3 victory on Tuesday evening.

The Tigers (27–7, 21–3) defeated the Crusaders in convincing fashion, courtesy of a strong pitching performance from starting pitcher Will Hellings (Summit, N.J. / Summit) and a 13-hit barrage from a balanced offensive attack. With today's win, the Tigers now hold 22 victories in 30 meetings against the Crusaders and split the season series. While Trinity got after the UMHB pitchers for 13 hits in the game, the Tiger pitchers allowed just three runs (two earned) on four hits. The Tiger bats were hot all evening, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth put the game out of reach. The Tigers added six runs in the top of the seventh to bring the final tally to 15, thus activating the run rule and ending the game early.

Hellings got the starting nod for the Tigers, allowing three runs on three hits in 6.0 innings of work. Hellings' dominant performance included a career-high nine strikeouts. With the win, he improved to 3–1 this season, to add to his 4 saves.

Brandon Nelson (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) delivered a big performance at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBI, and a home run. Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) paced the offense with a two-hit afternoon, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI for the Tigers. Maddox McDonald (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) added to the offensive by going 1-for-2 with three runs scored, one RBI, and two walks.

The Rundown
The day got off to a strong start as McDonald turned a walk into a scoring opportunity by stealing second. A Lazzara single allowed McDonald to score the first run of the day for the Tigers. Hellings started off on the front foot by retiring three of the four batters he faced, striking out one.

The Tigers struck again in the second inning. Will Baker (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) led off with a double and came home two batters later on Brandon Nelson's two-run homer. Nelson's home run was his third in the last two games, and his seventh of the season. Hellings began to heat up as he struck out all three batters in the bottom of the second, ending the inning with Trinity up 3–0.

To begin the third, McDonald was hit by a pitch and quickly stole his second bag of the evening. Lazzara followed McDonald with another walk which forced a Crusader pitching change. Unfortunately for UMHB, the pitching woes continued. The new pitcher allowed Lazara and McDonald to advance on a balk the very next play. A wild pitch allowed McDonald to score and a walk to Nicholas Jones (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) gave the opportunity for Baker to collect his first RBI of the evening, bringing Lazzara home. In the bottom of the third, Hellings delivered a quick 1-2-3 inning, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts to bring his total to six strikeouts after three innings of work.

UMHB found a spark in the fourth. They got on the bases from a walk and advanced to third on a wild pitch from Hellings. A groundout to short-stop allowed the runner from third to score, making the score 5–1. The Tigers responded swiftly in the top of the fifth. Jones walked and scored on a balk after a single by Baker. Nelson walked, and after a pitching change, Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) brought in another run with a sacrifice fly. Cam Champness (Katy, Texas / Taylor) capped the inning with an infield RBI single, allowing Nelson to come home, putting Trinity up 8–1. Hellings made quick work of the Crusaders again, retiring the side in order for the second time in the game, striking out one batter.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Crusaders began to gain momentum by an array of Tiger errors. After striking out the leadoff batter, Hellings allowed a walk, and a wild pitch quickly brought the base runner from first to third. An error from home plate added a run for the Crusaders to bring the score to 9–2. Another walk from Hellings quickly followed by a hit by pitch allowed a runner to get into scoring position. A single to right field brought home the Crusaders' final run of the game, making the score 9–3. This inning marked the end of Hellings' impressive outing, striking out a career-high nine batters, and only allowing three hits.

Another pitching change for the Crusaders proved disastrous as well. Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) walked and quickly stole second. A McDonald single brought Woodward home to start the scoring for the Tigers before stealing second to put himself in scoring position. Lazzara and Jones then both drew walks, loading the bases with Tigers. UMHB then changed pitchers once again, to little avail. Khalfani Coney (Los Angeles, Calif. / Crossroads School) delivered the big blow with a two-RBI single, and Nelson added another RBI knock. Tinker followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 15–3. The top of the seventh proved to be fruitful for the Tigers, with all of the damage coming with two outs.

The Tigers closed out the game with a combination of relief pitching from sophomore Wes Hellings (Summit, N.J. / Summit) and freshman Jake Beck (Austin, Texas / Austin). The two allowed just one hit and finished the game for the Tigers. Final score: 15–3.

Up Next
Trinity will hit the road this weekend for a three-game SCAC series, taking on the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. The series opens on Friday, April 18, with a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m., followed by the second game at 5:00 p.m. The teams will wrap up the series with a final matchup on Saturday, April 19, at 1:00 p.m.