SUWANEE, Ga. - Trinity University became the first team to qualify for the 2012 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball championship tournament. Trinity currently sits in first place in the SCAC West Division with a perfect 11-0 record. The Tigers played just one non-conference game last week and are 23-3 overall this year.
AROUND THE SCAC
Austin College went 1-3 last week, falling 16-3
to East Texas Baptist before dropping two of three in a tough
weekend series with Southwestern. The ‘Roos fell 6-4 in game
one before taking a 3-1 win in game two, and on Sunday the Pirates
used a ninth inning run to top the ‘Roos 2-1. Mason Leech
batted .467 for the week and had a solo homer, and Will Schommer
hit .333. Colt Herron, Chase Muder and Shane Williams each drove in
three runs on the week. Blaine Tew turned in a masterful
performance in the 2-1 loss to Southwestern, going 8.0 innings and
allowing just one run on four hits with three strikeouts in a no
decision, while Austin Molinaro picked up the win in relief in the
3-1 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.
No. 22 Birmingham-Southern went 3-1 last week on the
road, falling to Emory in Atlanta on Tuesday before sweeping Rhodes
in the three-game series in Memphis over the weekend. Sunday's game
three was especially exciting, with BSC winning 6-5 courtesy of a
three-run homer by senior Jon Walker in the top of the ninth
inning. Junior Bruce Maxwell leads BSC on the year hitting .524,
and was ranked third in the nation in batting average as of last
week's rankings. He also leads the nation with 19 doubles, as well
as slugging percentage, total bases, on base percentage, and walks.
The Panthers return home this week, facing Emory on Wednesday at 6
p.m. and then Centre on Friday and Saturday.
Centre lost three times this week falling 4-2 to
Transylvania Wednesday and then dropping both ends of a
doubleheader to Millsaps Saturday. The Colonels lost 13-4 and 5-4.
Sunday’s series’ finale was cancelled due to weather.
Centre, now 11-16 overall and 1-4 in the SCAC, will travel to
Birmingham-Southern this weekend for a three-game
series.
Dallas (15-12, 5-9 SCAC) went 2-1 on the week in SCAC
play as the Crusaders took two of three from Hendrix. Hendrix took
the series opener, 4-1 on Saturday before Dallas took the series
with 5-4 and 3-2 (11 innings) wins. In the series finale,
Dallas’ Adam Farris led off the bottom of the 11th with a
triple and then scored on Trevor Allred’s ensuing single to
left field. Dallas returns to action on April 3rd when they travel
to Texas-Arlington before hosting Austin College for three games
April 6-7.
Hendrix went 1-3 on the week, but sixth-year head coach
R.J. Thomas picked up his career 104th win, passing Jim Holland to
become the winningest coach in school history. Hendrix started the
week with a 7-4, non-conference loss at Rhodes on Tuesday. Senior
third baseman Kyle Raskin had a pair of hits, including a double in
the game. Senior starter Geoff Lomax improved his record to 6-2 on
the year with a five-strikeout, five-hit, one-run complete game
effort in the Warriors’ 4-1 series-opening win at Dallas on
Saturday. Sophomore Collin Radack recorded three hits in the game
and Raskin hit a home run. The Crusaders rebounded to win game two
5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Radack added three more hits and
senior second baseman Clark Sims broke the school record with his
sixth triple of the year. Dallas won the series finale 3-2 in 11
innings on Sunday. This week, Hendrix will host Ozarks on Tuesday,
then play at Washington (Mo.) for a three-game series beginning
Friday.
Millsaps found some big time offense on Saturday
afternoon as they traveled to Centre Colonels SCAC play. Millsaps
pounded 28 hits in two games while scoring 18 total runs to take a
13-4 (7 innings) and 5-4 win over the Colonels. Senior Ryan Zemke
and junior Wes Perkins were each 3-for-4 and combined for six total
RBIs on the day in the win in Game One. Stephen Gates, Keith
Shumaker, Jules Roussel, and Samuel Doucet each added two hits
apiece while Shumaker added two RBIs while Zemke, Roussel, and
Doucet each had a home run. Junior Will Edwards took the win. The
Major pitching of sophomore starter Zander Romano, Shumaker, and
Doucet held off a late rally by the Colonels as Romano picked up
the win and Doucet picked up his first save of the season in a 5-4
win. Romano pitched five innings while striking out six while
Doucet pitched 2.2 innings and only gave up two hits while allowing
one walk. Shumaker was 3-for-5 for the day with a RBI while Perkins
added a 2-for-5 day with two RBIs. Wall and Doucet each added two
hits on the afternoon. The Majors improve to 17-10 on the season
and 4-1 in the SCAC. Millsaps is playing well as they have won
seven of their last nine and are back in action on Wednesday as
they welcome in Belhaven before a home weekend against
Sewanee.
Oglethorpe went 1-3 this past week, dropping a
non-conference contest against DePauw on Wednesday (L, 7-5) before
travelling to Sewanee where the Tigers took of three in a
close-knit series. Against DePauw, the Petrels fell behind early,
allowing three runs on just one hit in the first inning, and then
allowing two more in the fifth. On Saturday, Sewanee swept
Oglethorpe in a heartbreaking doubleheader for the Petrels. losing
Game 1 by the score of 2-1, and Game 2 by the score of 8-7. The
Petrels led 1-0 into the sixth inning (of a scheduled seven) in
Game 1 and 7-3 into the eighth inning of Game 2 before giving up
the lead in both instances. Oglethorpe finally had some breaks go
there way on Sunday when they pulled out a 10-9 victory over the
Tigers in 10 innings. In the 10th, Sewanee got the first out but
Spear followed with a single. Then Leff cracked a two-run homer,
giving the Petrels the lead for the first time since the third
inning, 10-8. Sewanee was able to score a run in the bottom half,
but Schmutz was able to hold on for the save, leaving the bases
loaded. He pitched an inning and walked two, but did not allow a
hit or a run. OU is now 8-17 on the season, 2-4 in SCAC
play.
Rhodes went 1-3 this week with a 7-4 victory over
visiting Hendrix in mid-week action, before being swept in a three
game set by No. 24 Birmingham-Southern. BSC took Saturday’s
double header 3-2 and 6-4, and then finished the sweep with a
6-5 win on Sunday. Rhodes will return to action this Wednesday
against DII Christian Brothers University, before Oglethorpe comes
to town for a three game set on Friday and Saturday. The Lynx are
now 15-12 overall and 2-4 in SCAC play.
After dropping a mid-week contest against No. 8 Piedmont,
Sewanee earned two wins against SCAC foe
Oglethorpe, Saturday. The Tigers then dropped a 10-9 decision in
extra innings Sunday. Overall, Sewanee is in the midst of a
five-game homestand. The Tiger have won six out of their last eight
games heading into this Tuesday’s mid-week contest against
regional-rival Covenant. Sewanee (11-13) currently sits tied for
third with Rhodes in the latest SCAC East Division standings. The
Tigers still have games against Millsaps, Centre, and Rhodes. This
week, the Tigers will play a Piedmont College in a midweek contest,
before returning to action against Oglethorpe, Saturday and
Sunday.
With two wins and two losses last week
Southwestern moves to 8-19 on the year and 4-7 in
the SCAC. Tuesday against McMurry, Southwestern jumped out to an
early lead, 6-3, through five innings including a three-run first,
but the Warhawks posted five runs in the eighth and used a record
setting performance from Marcellous Biggins to defeat SU 9-6.
Southwestern returned to SCAC play on Saturday, facing Austin
College. Southwestern once again opened strong with one run in each
of the first & second innings. Those proved to be the
difference maker as both teams had a four-run fourth before
defenses took over and Southwestern claimed the 6-4 win. In game
two, SU struck first once again but not until the sixth while
Austin College was held scoreless until the bottom of the eighth
where they posted three runs to steal the 3-1 win. Sunday's contest
was a dog fight as the Pirates scored one run in the top of the
second and Austin matched the effort with one run in the fourth.
The game remained tied heading into the ninth and Nate Shipp drove
in Charlie Garrett for the go-ahead run and after the Pirate
defense closed out the game Southwestern emerged with the 2-1 win.
Southwestern heads to Trinity for a two-game set this
weekend.
No. 1 Trinity played just once last week, rallying from a
three-run deficit to defeat the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
9-3 on Tuesday night. The Tigers tied the game with a three-run
fourth inning, then scored six more runs in the next three innings
to seal the victory. Dominick Robusto had two hits and three RBI in
the game, while Kelly Woodruff and Will Donnan drove in two runs
each. Trinity ace Ben Klimesh struck out four batters in a rare
two-inning relief appearance. Klimesh is just 18 strikeouts from
breaking Trinity’s single season record of 121, set by Brian
Nowell in 1998. He is also within striking distance of the SCAC
record for a single season (132). Klimesh is already the career
leader in strikeouts in the SCAC, passing former Tiger Mike Frost a
couple of weekends ago. He would need to fan 28 more batters to
break the Trinity career record of 342, set by Trinity Hall of
Famer Paul Stanley (1970-73).After just one game last week, Trinity
will play five road games this week, beginning with a doubleheader
at Hardin-Simmons on Tuesday afternoon. Over the weekend, Trinity
will play a three-game SCAC series against Southwestern. The Tigers
beat the Pirates 5-1 and 9-1 in two games in San Antonio earlier
this year.
For the complete SCAC Baseball Diamond Weekly for
Week 9, click here.