(Photo courtesy of Joshua Moczygemba)
GEORGETOWN, Texas - Trinity University and Centenary College won their games on Friday afternoon by a collective score of 40-4 as the two conference powers will face off in tomorrow's winner's bracket contest of the 2013 SCAC Baseball Championship tournament on the campus of Southwestern University. Tournament Website
In the evening's final contest, the University of Dallas, after dropping into the consolation bracket earlier in the day, defeated the host school Southwestern University, 4-3, in the tournament's first elimination contest.
GAME ONE
Trinity 21, University of Dallas 1
(Story courtesy of the Trinity University website)
The Tiger baseball team opened up its part in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament with a 21-1 win over the University of Dallas on Friday afternoon. Box Score
Trinity improved to 34-7 this season with the win, which also featured a pair of broken records. The Tiger offense set a new SCAC Tournament record with 26 hits in today's game, which was shortened to just seven innings due to a run rule. Trinity finished with four runs on seven hits in the sixth inning to break the previous record of 24, set by Southwestern University in 2002.
In the first inning, Trinity started off with a bang, picking up six runs to take command of the game early. The Tigers added two more runs in the second, then three in the third, and finally another six-spot in the fourth to go up 17-0. Dallas broke up the shutout with a run in the top of the sixth, just before Trinity's record-breaking performance in the bottom of the same inning.
Pat Hirschberg also broke the Trinity single season record for triples, hitting his seventh of the season in the six-run fourth. His triple came on a rocket to center field with the bases loaded. He finished the game with two runs and five RBI, going 2-3 for the Tigers.
Also picking up five RBI was Jonathan Hall, who was 3-3 with a pair of doubles. Christian Muscarello was 3-4 with two doubles, four runs scored, and two RBI, while Will Donnan, Kevin Clements, Kelly Woodruff, and Jeremy Wolf all had two hits in the game. Clements and Wolf drove in two runs, while Woodruff scored twice.
Trinity first-year Connor Moore went 5-6 to fuel the Tiger offense all game long, picking up three runs and two RBI from his leadoff spot in the order.
Ryan Lucero (9-1) threw five shutout innings to earn the victory, giving up just two hits, and striking out eight batters without allowing a walk. Michael Walker and Josh Fink each pitched an inning to close out the win, and the Tiger pitchers combined to allow just four total hits.
Trinity will face Centenary College tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The Tigers lost four of five regular season meetings with the Gents. The winner advances to Sunday's SCAC Championship game, while the loser will play again tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.
GAME TWO
Centenary College 19, Austin College 3
(Story courtesy of the Centenary College website)
The Centenary baseball team moves on to a winner's bracket final against No. 7 Trinity following a 19-3 rout of Austin College in the Gents' (25-13) first game of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. First pitch against the Tigers is scheduled for Noon on Saturday at Rockwell Field. Box Score
The Maroon and White saw seven players record multiple hits en route to 20 total hits in the contest. Ryan Gasporra, Craig Littleman and Nic Parrott each tallied three hits to lead the way.
Matt Creamer, Tyler Clakley, Christian Sebastien, Marc Martinez added two apiece with Jemari James, Kiefer Moore and Zachary Stephenson each logging a hit.
Taylor Henry (4-2) garnered the win on the mound with five innings in the start. Henry allowed just three runs on six hits while registering five strikeouts in the win. Trey Guiccione and Cole Thompson each recorded a strikeout in relief as Jake McFarland logged the final out of the affair.
Centenary jumped on the Roos early plating six runs in its first trip to the dish. Martinez added the biggest blow in the frame with a double down the left field line to score Sebastien, James and Littleman. Parrott followed with a triple to score Martinez and close out the first-inning, run total.
After he Gents added three runs in the third frame to extend their lead to 9-0, Austin College answered with its lone three runs of the contest in the fourth inning as Will Schommer provided a two-run, single for the Roos to narrow the gap.
Centenary wasn't to be outdone adding two, five spots on the scoreboard to push the contest out of reach. The first of the five-run frames came in the bottom of the fourth as Gasporra, Clakley and Littleman all drove in a run in the inning.
The final runs for the Gents came in the sixth inning as Littleman, James and Moore each drove while Parrott closed out the scoring drive in a pair on a double to right field.
Todd Takabuki (2-3) last only a third of an inning in the loss allowing six runs on five hits with a pair of walks.
GAME THREE
University of Dallas 4, Southwestern University 3
A two-out single in the bottom of the eighth by Jack Pierce snapped a 3-3 tie and the University of Dallas held on for a 4-3 victory over Southwestern University in the first elimination game of the 2013 SCAC Baseball Tournament. Box Score
In the bottom half of the eighth, Dallas got a one-out single to left field from Nico Caluda and Sterling Maness entered the game to run for him. Maness later stole second base and then scored on a single to left field by Pierce for what would become the game winning run.
Southwestern's Ross Meyer led all batters and went 3-for-3, with two RBI, a double, a stolen base, and scored. Jake Pierce led the Crusaders as he went 1-for-2, with a RBI, a walk, a hit by pitch, and scored twice. Chris Schierhorn picked up the win for Dallas, pitching 4.0 solid innings in relief of starter Joshua Crapps.
Dallas advances to play Austin College tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Southwestern finishes its season with a record of 3-38.
