OLIVET, Mich.-- The Trine baseball team went to extra-innings for a game one victory and followed it up with another win to sweep Olivet in the opening games of an MIAA-series Saturday afternoon at Cutler Athletic Complex.
The Thunder got a strong performance from a pair of relievers to come back and win game one 3-1 in nine innings and were able to overcome one big Comet inning to earn the 5-4 victory in game two. Trine relief pitchers combined for eight scoreless innings of work in the two games. Ethan Prebynski (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) became Trine's leader in hits in the Division-III era (2005-present) with a two-hit day. The senior has now totaled 140 hits in his collegiate career. The Thunder improved to 12-14 overall and evened their MIAA mark at 7-7. Olivet fell to 4-20 overall, 3-11 in conference play.
Game One: Trine 3, Olivet 1
A strong effort from the bullpen proved big as the Thunder earned the extra-inning victory.
Vinny Slobodecki (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) and Jake Weimer (Pittsboro, Ind./Brownsburg) combined for 5.2 innings of shutout work in relief of Eddie Tomich (Carmel, Ind./Westfield). Weimer earned the victory with the final 1.2 innings of unblemished work. He struck out one.
The Comets scored the only run of the game over the first five frames as Peter Panos scored an unearned run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fourth.
Trine broke through in the top of the sixth to tie things up. The Thunder took advantage of a couple errors, as Kory Shackle (Butler, Ohio/Mount Vernon) came through with a big two-out hit to score a run and make the score 1-1.
The game would stay that way until the ninth, when a pair of walks put two on with one out. Jake LaBounty (Avon, Ind./Covenant Christian) gave the Thunder the lead with an RBI-single to left. LaBounty extended his hitting-streak to 10 games with a hit in each end of the doubleheader.
Ethan Kirkman (Oregon, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) added an RBI-single for an insurance run later in the inning for the final margin.
Game Two: Trine 5, Olivet 4
The Comets scored all four of their runs in the second, but the Thunder came back to earn the sweep.
Jordan Baer (Fort Wayne, Ind./Leo) ripped an RBI-double as Trine struck first in the top of the first. The senior had two hits in game two.
The Comets scored on an RBI-groundout by Beau Langs in the bottom of the second and took the lead as a run scored on an error. Drew Thompson and Stephen Botti each added run-scoring hits as Olivet put the Thunder in a 4-1 hole early.
Trine fought back to tie it up in third. A sacrifice fly by Drew Palmer (Hartford, Wisc./Hartford Union) scored Prebynski to cut the score to 4-2, before a two-out rally produced two more runs. An RBI-single by LaBounty cut the deficit to one and the tying run came in to score on a balk.
Singles by Palmer and LaBounty and a walk drawn by Zach Thorn (Portage, Ind./Portage) loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. Kyle Auernhamer (Vassar, Mich./Vassar) then worked another walk to push across what would prove to be the winning run to make the score 5-4.
Brandon Mylcraine (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) evened his record at 1-1, getting the win with 4.2 innings of work. Shaun Seigneur (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing) picked up his first career save with 2.1 innings of shutout relief. Seignuer allowed one baserunner on a hit.
Trine and Olivet will wrap up their series tomorrow at Jannen Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.