GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- The Trine baseball team was swept on the road at Calvin in an MIAA-doubleheader Thursday afternoon at Calvin Field.
A big inning for the Knights proved to be the undoing of the Thunder in each game. Calvin scored seven runs in the fourth inning of an 11-1 victory in game one, and used a six-run fourth to fight back from an early deficit to take game two, 9-6. Jordan VanderWall drove in six runs on the day to lead the Knights offensively. Jordan Baer (Fort Wayne, Ind./Leo) homered and drove in four runs to lead Trine. The Thunder fall to 14-20 overall, 9-13 in MIAA play. Calvin improved to 17-15 overall, 14-8 in conference play.
Game One: Calvin 11, Trine 1
Ben Guillfoyle pitched a complete game and the Knights blew things open with a seven-run fourth inning.
VanderWall provided the big blow in the fourth with a three-run double. It was the right fielder's only hit in game one. Nick Steiginga plated a pair of runs in the inning with a single. Steiginga notched three hits in the first game.
Jeff Murdock also picked up two RBIs. Grant VanPutten had three hits and added an RBI.
Guillfoyle pitched his first complete game of the season. He allowed an earned run on three hits, walked five and struck out one.
Trine pushed across its run in the seventh on a sac fly by Baer.
Game Two: Calvin 9, Trine 6
The Thunder got off to a hot start, but another big fourth-inning led the Knights back to get the series-opening sweep.
Two-out singles iin the first by Ethan Kirkman (Oregon, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) and Drew Palmer (Hartford, Wisc./Hartford Union) put two runners on. Baer then launched a three-run homer to right to get the Thunder on the board. The home run was the senior's second of the season and fifth of his career. Baer's five career homers are tied for fifth in the Division-III era at Trine (2005-present).
Calvin scored on an error in the bottom of the inning, but a pair of nice defensive plays kept the Knights from scoring more. Spencer Sutton (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) threw out a runner trying to steal and the Thunder executed a relay throw to cut down another runner at the plate.
Trine added single runs in the third and fourth as Ethan Prebynski (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Colton Conn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) each picked up RBIs to push the score to 5-1.
VanderWall knocked in a run in the third before the Knights exploded for six in the fourth. Calvin loaded the bases with nobody out. Steiginga got the scoring started with an infield single, before VanPutten and VanderWall each delivered two-run doubles to make the score 7-5. Colton Wolfe added a sac fly for the final run.
The Thunder added a run in the seventh on an RBI-single by Jake LaBounty (Avon, Ind./Covenant Christian). Calvin picked up an insurance run with a sac fly in the sixth.
Three Knight relievers combined to allow just one earned run in four innings of work. Ryan Stewart was credited with the victory.
LaBounty, Baer and Palmer each picked up two hits in the second game for Trine.
The two teams wrap up the MIAA-series Saturday at Jannen Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.