Shreveport, Louisiana - After winning two games over Centenary College on Sunday afternoon, the Tiger baseball team is once again the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion.
Third-seeded Trinity was in the precarious position of of having to defeat the top-seeded Gents twice to claim the conference crown. The Tigers did just that, winning the opening game 6-4, and run-ruling their hosts 10-0 in a seven-inning second matchup. Trinity won its third straight SCAC title, the ninth under head Coach Tim Scannell, and the 10th overall. Additionally, Trinity secured a sixth consecutive berth in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. It also marked just the third time in SCAC history that a team came from the loser's bracket to win the title - the last time was 20 years ago when Trinity won the SCAC prize in 1995.
The championship clincher came in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two, when Brody Fehmel cracked a double to into the gap for his third RBI of the game. Jose “Pepe” Santos scored his fourth run of the contest, as the 18th-ranked Tigers improved to 33-12. The Fehmel and Santos combination actually took place in three acts, as the outfielder doubled the designated hitter home in the second inning, followed by a single in the fifth, and the game-ending RBI.
Trinity took an 8-0 lead after three innings, which included four runs in the third stanza. Austin Singer’s single in the third inning accounted for two of those runs.
Fehmel hit 3-4 with three RBI and two doubles, and Singer had two RBI. Nick Jewett went 3-4 at the plate with one run and an RBI. Mike Walker pitched the seven innings and upped his record to 6-3. Walker allowed only one walk and four hits, while striking out four of the Gents players.
Sunday’s opening game at Shehee Stadium was a slightly different matter, as both teams were tied at 1-1 after the first inning. Centenary took a 2-1 lead after three innings, but the Tigers ramped up with three runs on three hits in the fourth to pull ahead. The Gents promptly tied the game at 4-4 with two runs in the fifth inning, but Trinity answered the challenge once again with a two-run sixth inning - courtesy of a two-RBI single by Connor Moore.
Moore hit 3-5 with two RBI and one run scored. Santos batted 3-4 with two of his six runs on the day. Matt Tindall started the game and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs, three hits and two walks, while fanning four players. Teddy Turner came on in the fifth inning, pitching the final 4.2 innings without allowing any runs or hits. He struck out three players and earned the victory, while improving to 2-1 on the season.
Eight Tiger players were selected for the SCAC All-Tournament Team: Jewett, Moore, Walker, Turner, Colin Serkowski, Carter McEachern, Jeremy Wolf, and Drew Butler.
The Tigers will compete in their 10th NCAA postseason event, all under the auspices of Coach Scannell. Bids to one of eight Regional Championships will be announced May 10, with the the tournaments being held from May 13-16. The NCAA Championships are slated for May 22-26 at Appleton, Wisconsin.