(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - No. 15 Trinity University Baseball will return to the NCAA III World Series for the third time in program history, first since it returned to the Alamo City with the National Championship in 2016.
The Tigers (37-11) defeated this weekend's host No. 3 Birmingham-Southern College, 14-8, through a pair of explosive innings, the latter of which came to break away from a slim 9-8 lead in the final frame. Trinity won the best-of-three series in two games after defeating the Southern Athletic Association champs, 9-8, in Friday's series-opener.
Senior outfielder Brian Schaub brought the early production with a grand slam to punctuate a six-run second inning for a 7-0 advantage that carried long enough for the bats to come back around in the final two frames as junior outfielder Ezra Gore broke up an 8-8 draw in the eighth before a five-run ninth sealed the victory.
Saturday's decision was awarded to Trinity's sixth and final pitcher to take the mound as senior righthander Joel Thomas went the final two and two-thirds allowing just one walk after taking control with the late deadlock at eight runs apiece. Thomas heads into the NCAA III Championship with a 3-0 record from the bump.
The 2022 NCAA III Baseball Championship begins Friday, June 3 at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. More information on team seeding and matchups will be released once the eight-team field has been decided.
The Rundown
The second-inning barrage was foreshadowed in the opening frame as a pair of base hits and a hit-by-pitch in the first three Tiger plate appearances left the bases loaded for Schaub to collect the first of his five RBI on a sacrifice fly to straightaway centerfield, scoring Trinity's lead-off batter, first baseman MJ Metz who reached on an infield single.
The Tigers showed a knack for opportunism soon after as all six runs in the second frame came after a fielding error at the hot corner would have ended the inning. Catcher Tyler Pettit's lead-off double eventually paid off as he scored on the misplay. The third walk of the inning pushed the second tally across, setting the stage for Schaub's grand slam.
The Panther bats were kept at bay to this point by first-year righthander Luke Pfeiffer, who also received the starting nod in the regional finale at University of Texas-Dallas last weekend. The Tiger rookie was pulled with runners on the corners despite the early advantage with five free passes already on his line. Sophomore Jonathan Newman eventually took over to end the inning, benefitted by a pair of heads-up defensive plays from Metz at first base.
While the Tigers slowed their offensive production, Newman prevented crooked numbers from Birmingham-Southern until a two-out double in the sixth ended his relief appearance at three and two-thirds innings allowing two runs, and an eventual third, with one strikeout. The sixth frame led to an 8-7 margin before sophomore Harrison Durow was called upon to stop the bleeding.
A brand-new ballgame emerged in the seventh as a base-hit through the left side tied the contest at 8-8, forcing the Tiger dugout to call upon Thomas to take over mound duties.
Trinity's offense rewarded a near-perfect relief appearance from Thomas first by breaking up the tie on a two-out knock through the middle from Gore to score second baseman Colt Harris who led off the eighth with a double, then by dropping five insurance runs on the weekend's host in the ninth capped by a two-out, bases-loaded drive into rightfield from designated hitter Nathan Braulick.
Notable Numbers
Schaub's climb in the record book continued Saturday as he added another walk to his program-best season total (49) while the grand slam vaulted him into a three-way tie for fifth all-time for RBI in a single season at 61. The last Tiger to eclipse 60 RBI in a season was currently holds the record in the category: Jeremy Wolf '16 pushed 70 runs across during the 2016 national championship campaign.
Pettit and Harris led the way in successful plate appearances Saturday reaching base four times each, both with two hits that included a double. Metz and Braulick each reached three times, Metz with a game-high three hits while Braulick collected a two-RBI knock and a pair of walks.
Up Next
The final site of the 2022 NCAA III Baseball Championship awaits No. 15 Trinity Baseball in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The eight-team battle begins Friday, June 3.
