SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - No. 9 Trinity Baseball secures a walk off comeback win in game one over Tufts on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers (8–5) found themselves in trouble early but stayed within striking distance thanks to timely hitting and strong relief pitching before eventually securing the walk-off victory. Will Taylor (Greenwood Village, Colorado / Cherry Creek) earned his second win of the season in relief, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings to close out the game. Jack Bussard (Reisterstown, Maryland / McDonogh School) also delivered a key performance out of the bullpen, keeping Trinity within reach by allowing just one run over four innings while striking out six.
At the plate, Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, California / Palos Verdes Peninsula) led the Tigers' offense with a strong 3-for-5 performance that included a double. Mattias Rytting (Houston, Texas / Bellaire) also contributed offensively, adding two hits on the day.
The Rundown
Tufts grabbed the lead with a run in the first inning, then added three more in the third to move in front 4-0.
Trinity began its comeback in the bottom of the third. Rytting opened the frame with a single, and John Ramsey (Austin, Texas / Westwood) followed with a base hit after Nicholas Jones (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) was retired. A flyout from Woodward moved both runners up, setting the table for Khalfani Coney (Los Angeles, California / Crossroads School), who lined a two-run single to center to score Rytting and Ramsey and cut the deficit in half. Will Baker (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) followed with a double to deep left to keep the pressure on, though the Tigers settled for the two runs and trailed 4-2 after three.
The Tigers kept chipping away in the fourth. Sawyer Haynes (Waco, Texas / Midway) singled up the middle, then Will Dixon (Houston, Texas / Memorial) was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, and after Rytting was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jones brought home a run on a double-play ball to trim the margin to 4-3. Trinity pulled even and then moved in front in the fifth.
Woodward started the inning with a double to deep left, moved to third on Coney's groundout, and scored on Baker's RBI single to center. Michael Lustina (Austin, Texas / Westlake) added a single to put two aboard, and after Haynes reached on a fielder's choice, Jack Henning (Houston, Texas / Houston Christian) delivered a pinch-hit RBI single through the right side to score Baker and give Trinity its first lead of the day at 5-4.
Tufts scratched across a run in the seventh to even the game, but Trinity had the final answer.
In the bottom of the ninth, Ramsey worked a leadoff walk, Woodward followed with an infield bunt single, and Baker drew a walk to load the pressure back onto Tufts. That brought up Lustina, who ripped a single to left-center to bring home Woodward with the walk-off winner and cap Trinity's comeback.
Final Score: Trinity 6, Tufts 5.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will continue with game two of the series tomorrow with a 2:00 PM first pitch.
