(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The 15th-ranked Trinity baseball team edged Baldwin Wallace University 6-5 in an elimination game at the NCAA III World Series on Saturday evening, advancing to the final day of the bracket.
The Tigers improved to 38-12 this season with the win, while Baldwin Wallace is eliminated with the loss and falls to 37-13 on the year. Trinity rallied from a four-run deficit after two innings, tying the game in the fourth, then ting things up again at 5-5 in the sixth. Trinity took its first lead of the NCAA III World Series in the bottom of the seventh, then held on to that lead over the final two innings to secure the win.
Tyler Pettit blasted a solo homer over the fence in left field to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning, tying the game 5-5 at the time. Nathan Braulick scored the eventual game-winning run on a wild pitch in the seventh. Harrison Durow improved to 8-0 this season after coming out of the bullpen for 3.2 shutout innings to close the game, striking out six batters, and yielding just one hit and one walk.
Trinity survives to play on Sunday against either LaGrange College or Eastern Connecticut State University, who will play late tonight.
The Rundown
Baldwin Wallace jumped all over Trinity early in the game, scoring three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. The Tigers got the first two runners on base in the bottom of the inning as MJ Metz walked and Jack Wisniewski looped a single into center. Both runners were stranded though, and the Yellow Jackets led 3-0 after the first inning.
The second inning began with the first two Baldwin Wallace hitters getting hit by a pitch, followed by a run-scoring double that made it a 4-0 game. After a walk loaded the bases, Joel Thomas was able to avoid further damage by getting the next two batters out and ending the threat.
Trinity finally got its offense going in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with one out. Braulick delivered a two-run double to cut the lead in half at 4-2, though Baldwin Wallace escaped without allowing any more runs.
In the fourth, Baldwin Wallace threatened again by putting two runners on base to start the inning. Samuel Conte came on for a rare appearance out of the bullpen and quickly recorded two outs. After yielding a walk that loaded the bases, Conte then got a key strikeout to strand three more runners on base and keep it a two-run game.
Trinity loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the fourth, forcing Baldwin Wallace to go deeper into their bullpen. Metz drove in a run with a sac fly to right field, then Wisniewski tied the game at 4-4 with his single to right.
Baldwin Wallace loaded the bases for the third time in four innings in the top of the fifth, answering the two-run inning by the Tigers with a run of its own to reclaim the lead. The Yellow Jackets stranded three runners for the third time in the game, though Trinity was retired in order in the bottom of the inning to keep the game at 5-4 through five innings.
Durow came on in relief two batters into the six inning, picking up two quick outs to shut down the BWU offense. Pettit delivered his game-tying homer on the second pitch he saw in the bottom of the inning to make it a 5-5 game.
Braulick was hit by a pitch to reach base with one out in the seventh, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Brian Schaub slashed a single through the left side to move Braulick to third, then Braulick scored on another wild pitch for the eventual game-winning run.
Durow struck out the side in the eighth, then pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth to close out the game and move the Tigers forward in the tournament.
Numbers to Note
Trinity's 38 wins this season are the third-most in school history, trailing only the NCAA III World Series teams of 2015 (40 wins) and 2016 (44 wins) on the all-time list.
Michael Montrezza joined Wisniewski and Pettit with two hits each to account for six of Trinity's eight hits on the night. Pettit also scored a pair of runs, while Braulick had two RBI and was 1-for-3 in the game.
Metz stole his team-leading 23rd base of the year, while also scoring for the 66th time this season. His 66 runs are tied for the second-best single season total in school history.
Pettit's home run was his 11th this season, which ties him for 10th in Trinity history for a single season.
Up Next
Trinity will be back in action in the Sunday's second game of the tournament and will face either No. 2 seed Eastern Connecticut or No. 3 seed LaGrange College. The winner of that game will advance to the finals of the bracket, playing for a spot in the Championships Series.
