GEORGETOWN, Texas -- For the second time in as many games, Trinity (Texas) faced a looming deficit heading into the ninth inning on the road. And as they did with Millsaps just five days ago, Trinity’s bats delivered in the clutch.
Down 7-5 with just three outs remaining, Connor Moore and Carter McEachern kept things simple with singles. With one out, Jeremy Wolf cleared the bases with a double to left center to tie the game at seven. Wolf then advanced to third base on a passed ball which allowed him to score the winning run as Pat Hirschberg reached on an error by the third baseman.
The Tigers, now 6-1 on the season, opened the scoring in the fourth when Julian Cronk drove in Hirschberg with a two-out single to center. Southwestern answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning before adding another in the fifth inning.
Trinity then chased Southwestern starter Jason Stadin with a four-run sixth that saw the first five batters reach base safely. Wolf singled, Hirschberg walked, and Nick Jewett drive in Wolf with a single to right field. Cronk was hit by pitch to load the bases which lead to Stadin being relieved by Carl Mueller. Mueller then walked Austin Singer to tie the game at four. McEachern gave the Tigers a brief 5-4 lead when he drove in Jewett with two outs.
Southwestern answered the Tiger rally with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead, and took an insurance run in the eighth, but came up short in the ninth inning as Teddy Turner held strong to earn the 8-7 win. Turner (1-0) finished his 3.2 innings of work allowing just the one run.
Ryan Gray started for the Tigers and lasted 5.1 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits.
Corban 6, No. 1 Linfield 5
McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Corban second baseman Stockton Taylor registered a perfect 4-for-4 outing and pinch hitter Ben Straka delivered the game-winning RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth as the Warriors twice rallied from two-run deficits to upset top-ranked Linfield 6-5 Friday evening at Roy Helser Field.
The Wildcats (5-2) led 2-0 after one inning and 4-2 after three frames before surrendering four runs over the final five frames to suffer its second home-field loss of the year. Linfield had the tying run on third with one out in the ninth, but left the runner stranded, one of 12 the ‘Cats left aboard on the night.
Warriors starter Eli Driessen gave up four runs off three hits, but relievers Jordan Johansen, Tony Davison and Jacob Kopra limited Linfield to three hits the rest of the way as Corban (3-5) built its comeback.
The Wildcats lost back-to-back games for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
