CLEBURNE, Texas - The 12th-ranked Trinity University Tigers fought back to reach the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game with an 11-0 win over the University of St. Thomas on Saturday night. The win sets up a rematch with Centenary College, who defeated Trinity, 12-8, in a battle of unbeatens in Saturday's first game of the day. Official Website l Tournament Stats l Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saturday night's elimination game opened as a pitcher's duel as the two teams combined for no runs on just three hits over the first three innings. Trinity blew the game open with nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
- The shutout was broken up with six runs on six hits, as well as a St. Thomas error that led to three unearned runs. Ezra Gore opened the prolific inning with a single up the middle, followed by a double to left-center field off the bat of Nathan Braulick. Jack Vonderhaar drove in a run on a fielder's choice for the first run of the game, then Tyler Pettit roped a double down the right field line to score two more and make it 4-0. After a walk to Michael Montrezza, Trinity hit into a double play for the first two outs of the inning. Metz drove in Pettit for the fifth run of the inning, then Jack Wisniewski smashed a triple to right-center to make it 6-0.
- Two errors in the fifth led to three more Trinity runs, with Colt Harris picking up the only RBI of the inning with a double down the right field line. Montrezza scored on the Harris double, while Brian Schaub and Pettit scored on an error earlier in the inning.
- The Tigers notched two more runs in the eighth to set up the run-rule, both of which were scored on a towering home run to left field by Metz, his third round-tripper of the tournament.
- Jack Martinez allowed just one hit in 7.2 innings of work, striking out nine batters to earn the victory and improve to 4-0 on the season. The only hit allowed by Martinez was to the third batter of the game in the opening inning.
TRINITY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- MJ Metz: 2-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 1 HR
- Tyler Pettit: 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 1 2B
- Brian Schaub: 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 BB
- Jack Martinez (WP): 7.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 5 BB
UNIVERITY OF ST. THOMAS STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Cameron McClure: 1-4
- Leo Galvan: 0-4, 1 run
- Knight Newcomb: 0-2, 1 BB, 1 SB
- Myles Simmons: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 Ks
NOTABLES
- Since 2014 the loser of game three (winner’s bracket final) has rebounded to reach the championship round six of eight tournaments. Trinity has now accomplished that feat five different times (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
- The 10-run margin of victory is the largest margin of victory in tournament play since Southwestern defeated Texas Lutheran, 16-2, in game five of the 2016 tournament.
- Trinity has now advanced to three consecutive SCAC Tournament Championship games, winning in 2019 and finishing runner-up in 2020.
- After finishing tonight’s game with 10 hits, Trinity, dating back to the 2020 SCAC Tournament has cranked out 10-plus hits in seven of its last eight tournament contests.
- Needing two wins on the final day is a tall task but not one unfamiliar to the Tigers. The last team to accomplish the feat was Trinity in 2019 when the Tigers defeated Texas Lutheran twice on Sunday (9-3 and 6-5) to pick up its last SCAC baseball championship. In the history of the conference postseason tournament, only four times has a team come out of the loser's bracket to win twice on the final day. Three of those times it has been Trinity pulling off the feat (1995, 2015 and 2019).
- St. Thomas ends its season with a program record 18 wins.
UP NEXT
Trinity improved to 31-9 with tonight's win, setting a rematch with Centenary College in Sunday's championship game. First pitch is scheduled for Noon CT. Trinity will need to defeat the Gents twice to win its 13th SCAC title in program history. Tomorrow will be third time Centenary, and Trinity have squared off for the SCAC title with the Gents emerging victorious in 2017 and the Tigers claiming the 2015 title.
