It was a weekend of highs and lows for Trinity Baseball when they hosted the University of Dallas Crusaders. The Tigers took two of three games in the series, dropping game one and winning the next two. The two wins were enough to ensure that the Tigers would finish top four in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) standings and qualify for the SCAC tournament.
The series was impacted by rain in the San Antonio area throughout the week, as games were moved to be played when the weather would allow it. The first game was moved to Friday, April 19, where the Tigers would lose 1-0. Senior Joseph Chavana started the game and took his second loss of the season even though he struck out 11 batters and only allowed one earned run.
Chavana received no run support as the Tiger bats were limited to only three hits on the night. It was the second consecutive Friday night Trinity had been shut out, as they fell to Texas Lutheran University a week earlier 5-0. Games two and three were supposed to be played on Saturday in a doubleheader, but threats of rain forced the games back to Sunday.
Sunday was a better day weather-wise, with highs in the low 70s, but it also had 17-mile-per-hour winds. The wind was a constant presence throughout the doubleheader, as players’ jerseys were tugged in every direction. The Tigers pushed through the elements in game two, blowing away the Crusaders in a 10-0 victory.
After a scoreless first inning, Trinity scored six runs in the bottom of the second to put them in a good position to even the series through two games. Senior pitcher Jackson Teer took the lead and ran with it, tossing seven scoreless innings and striking out eight. The Tigers eventually scored four more runs, including two in the seventh inning. Senior Brett Jones drove in the final run to end the game with a seven-inning run-rule victory.
Trinity’s victory set up a series-deciding game three that looked similar to game two. This time, the Tigers struck first with a five-run inning in the third, supporting starter Trajan Lee, who threw seven scoreless innings. Once again, it was Brett Jones who drove in the final run to run-rule the Crusaders. This time, the walk-off single occurred in the eighth inning, as it capped off a second consecutive 10-0 victory.
The total score of the series was 20-1 in favor of Trinity, yet Dallas was able to steal a game. The Tigers’ bats were off in game one, but they woke up in time to take the series. The two victories were enough to clinch a spot in the SCAC tournament, giving them an opportunity to repeat as SCAC champions. Trinity will head to Shreveport, Louisiana, next weekend to face Centenary College where they can clinch the top seed in the tournament.
