GEORGETOWN, Texas – The Trinity University baseball team finished off a Southern Athletic Association weekend series sweep with a 13-8 win over Southwestern University (TX) on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers (19-11, 10-2 SAA) also defeated the Pirates (6-24, 2-10 SAA) 12-6 and 12-7 in yesterday's doubleheader to open the series. The teams scored 21 runs on 30 combined hits, which included eight extra-base hits among 18 total for Trinity. Southwestern tied the game 6-6 with a three-run fifth inning, but Trinity scored seven runs over the final three innings to pull away with the win and the series sweep.
Will Baker (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) and
John Ramsey (Austin, Texas / Westwood) both had monster days to lead the offensive attack for the Tigers. Baker went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBI, while Ramsey was 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI as well. Both players went deep and Baker was just a triple away from hitting for the cycle.
Sawyer Haynes (Waco, Texas / Midway) went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two RBI.
Grant Anderson (Austin, Texas / Vista Ridge) added three hits in six plate appearances, with
Anthony Suscha (Indianapolis, Ind. / Brebeuf Jesuit) going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
Andrew Mason (Austin, Texas / Anderson) got the start for the Tigers but was relieved in the fourth after allowing three runs on three hits over the first 3.1 innings.
Will Taylor (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Cherry Creek) closed out the final 4.2 innings of the game to earn the win and move to 5-0 this season. Taylor struck out five batters, allowing two runs on four hits.
The Rundown
Southwestern got on the board first with a one-out solo homer in the bottom of the second inning, but the lead didn't last long as Trinity came out swinging in the top of the third. Ramsey singled with one out to start the rally, then
Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) walked to put two runners on. Suscha delivered a two-run double to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead, then Baker followed with an RBI single to make it a 3-1 margin. Trinity added another run in the fourth as Ramsey drove in his first run of the game with a single to left.
Mattias Rytting (Houston, Texas / Bellaire) was hit by a pitch to start the inning, then
Khalfani Coney (Los Angeles, Calif. / Crossroads School) reached on a one-out single two batters later. Only an inning-ending double play kept the Tigers from extending the lead even more.
The momentum of the double play carried into the bottom of the inning for the Pirates, who scored twice to pull within a run at 4-3. Trinity did manage to escape a bases-loaded jam to keep the lead at the time. The scoring barrage continued in the fifth as both teams stayed hot offensively. Baker launched a solo homer to left to get the Tigers going in the top half of the inning, then a Southwestern error allowed another run to cross and make it a 6-3 game. The home half was more prolific as the Pirates scored three runs on four hits to knot things up 6-6 heading into the sixth.
Both teams were quiet in the sixth before Trinity broke the tie with a big seventh inning. Anderson drew a leadoff walk, then scored on a double by Haynes. After a sac bunt and a strikeout, Coney drew a two-out walk to bring Ramsey to the plate. Ramsey smashed the first pitch he saw for a three-run homer and a 10-6 Tigers lead. Southwestern got two of the runs back on a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but the Pirates would not score again against Taylor. Trinity added insurance runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to give its pitcher some breathing room. Baker led off the eighth with a double, then Anderson singled to put runners on the corners. Haynes reached on an error on a squeeze play that scored a run to make it 11-8, though the Tigers stranded the bases loaded. Baker was involved in the scoring in the ninth, too, following a single by
Callen Singhania (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) with a two-run homer to finish the scoring. A couple of walks and a single by Southwestern in the ninth loaded the bases and made for an exciting finish, but Taylor got a groundout to second to finish off the victory.
Up Next
Trinity will close out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, traveling to Houston, Texas, to face off against the University of St. Thomas (TX) at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers return home for more SAA action next weekend, hosting Sewanee (TN) for a three-game weekend series.
