(Story Courtesy of Trinity Sports Information Department)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The 13th-ranked Tiger baseball team suffered a 1-0 extra-inning loss in the NCAA Regional Tournament against #16 University of La Verne on Sunday afternoon, dropping the best-of-five series with its third straight defeat this weekend.
Trinity ends its season with a 32-15 overall record, losing three consecutive games to La Verne (30-14-1) over the last two days, following an 18-9 series-opening win on Friday afternoon. After three lopsided games to start the series, featuring nine-run victories in each, the Tigers and Leopards settled in for an old-fashioned pitcher's duel on Sunday.
La Verne ended the game in the bottom of the 10th with three straight singles to score the game-winning run. The Leopards got an infield single to start the inning, then a ground-rule double put the winning run at third with no outs. Trinity shifted to five infielders in an attempt to cut down the runner at home in case of a bunt attempt. The Leopards attempted a squeeze play early in the count, but the ball deflected off the batter before going into the field of play. The next pitch was slashed past the drawn-in infielders, and the winning run scored easily.
Jackson Teer made his second start of the series this afternoon, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning against a potent La Verne offense that came into the day averaging 12 runs per game this weekend. Teer allowed just two hits and one walk over his seven-inning outing, striking out 10 batters. Will Hellings came on in relief and charged with the loss, falling to 2-2 this season.
Trinity was also stymied offensively, managing just three hits in the game. Jack Baker picked up the first hit for the Tigers in the first inning, then also drew two walks to reach base three times in the game. Colt Harris and Cristian Holloway were the only two players to collect hits for Trinity.
Both teams had chances to score in the fifth inning. Trinity put two runners on base with no outs in the top half, but failed to get on the board. La Verne broke through with its first hit in the bottom of the inning, then an error put two runners on with just one out. Double plays got both pitchers out of jams in the inning.
Harris led off the seventh with a double, but was stranded there as La Verne got the next three hitters out. Teer struck out the final two hitters he faced in the bottom of the seventh to keep it scoreless. Trinity had one of its best opportunities to score in the eighth, drawing two walks with two outs, followed by an infield single by Holloway to load the bases. A fielder's choice ended the threat and the game moved to the bottom of the eighth.
La Verne got two hits with two outs against Hellings in the bottom of the inning, but left both stranded. The Tigers had two walks in the ninth, but the first was erased on a steal attempt. The Leopards also had two on in the ninth to try and win it, but a sac bunt attempt resulted in the lead runner getting thrown out, then Hellings got a strikeout and a fly ball to send it to extra innings.
A leadoff walk put the go-ahead run on base for the Tigers in the top of the 10th, but a bunt attempt was popped up, and La Verne escaped with the game still tied.
Hellings gave up the first two hits before Trinity made the shift and brought in Jonathan Newman from the pen. Newman got a ground ball after the squeeze attempt, but it was hit just hard enough to get through the extra infielders to win the game.
Trinity is eliminated from the NCAA Playoffs and its season ends with today's result, while La Verne moves on to the Super Regionals next weekend.
