ATLANTA – The #17 Trinity University baseball team was swept in a Southern Athletic Association doubleheader at Oglethorpe University (GA) on Saturday afternoon, falling 12-2 and 11-10.
The Tigers (13-9, 4-2 SAA) defeated the Stormy Petrels (13-9, 4-2 SAA) 7-4 in yesterday's series opener but could not clinch the series with a win in either game today. Trinity was held to just two runs on eight hits in the opener – which was shortened to eight innings by the run rule. The Tigers led 10-7 in the ninth of game two, but Oglethorpe rallied and scored four runs to sweep the day and win the series.
Noah Flanagan (Norman, Okla. / Norman) took the loss in the opening game, falling to 0-1 this season after allowing two runs on two hits over the first 1.2 innings, though he tied for the team lead with three strikeouts. The Petrels took a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the second and once more in the third, then answered Trinity's first run of the game in the top of the fifth with four runs in the bottom half to make it a 7-1 advantage.
Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) followed a double by
John Ramsey (Austin, Texas / Westwood) with a double of his own to drive in the Tiger run.
Trinity loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch to make it 7-2, but Oglethorpe got two strikeouts to end the inning. The Petrels added two more runs in the seventh and then three more in the eighth to push the margin to double figures and end the game.
The Tigers opened the second game with a four-run inning to take the early lead, thanks mostly to a three-run home run by Ramsey.
Anthony Suscha (Indianapolis, Ind. / Brebeuf Jesuit) doubled with one out, then was driven home by
Will Baker (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point).
Grant Anderson (Austin, Texas / Vista Ridge) picked up the first of his five hits in the game to put two runners on, and after a strikeout, Ramsey hit the first pitch he saw over the fence down the left field line to make it 4-0. In the second inning,
Pierce Matthews (Carrollton, Texas / Hebron) had an infield hit with one out and then later scored on a balk to make it a 5-0 Tiger lead. Oglethorpe was held scoreless the first two innings before tying the game with a five-run third that included a game-tying grand slam.
The Petrels took the lead with another run in the fourth, but Suscha and Baker got Trinity started with back-to-back singles to start the Tiger fifth. Anderson tied the game with another single, then
Sawyer Haynes (Waco, Texas / Midway) later lofted a sac fly to center that gave Trinity a slim 7-6 lead. After
Mattias Rytting (Houston, Texas / Bellaire) singled to lead off the sixth, Woodward produced another sac fly for the Tigers to push the lead out a little further at 8-6. Oglethorpe immediately got that run back in the bottom of the inning, making it an 8-7 game heading into the final three innings.
Anderson delivered another RBI single in the eighth to make it 9-7, then
Khalfani Coney (Los Angeles, Calif. / Crossroads School) drove in Ramsey for another run in the ninth to give Trinity a 10-7 lead with just three outs to go.
Will Taylor (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Cherry Creek) pitched well in relief for the Tigers, striking out 11 batters in 5.0 innings of work, but he got into trouble in the ninth. He walked the first batter and then hit the next hitter before recording a strikeout. A single then loaded the bases, and
Jack Bussard (Reisterstown, Md. / McDonogh School) came in for Taylor after that. Bussard walked and hit a batter to push across two runs, and he eventually took the loss and fell to 1-2 this season.
Tait Johnson (Round Rock, Texas / Stony Point) came in and got a strikeout for the second out and the Tigers were on the verge of escaping with the win, but Oglethorpe delivered a walkoff single to score two runs and sweep the doubleheader.
Anderson had a great day at the plate, going 5-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored. Baker and Suscha both had two hits and scored twice, while Ramsey had three RBI and two runs scored. Coney also went 2-for-4 in the game as the Tigers tallied 15 total hits in the series finale.
Up Next
Trinity returns home to face Concordia University (TX) on Tuesday, March 31, at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers will be back on the road and back in Georgia next weekend, facing off against Berry College (GA) for a three-game SAA series.
