Baseball
 

March 4, 2008

Hardin-Simmons Slips Past Trinity in the Ninth

San Antonio - Trinity's baseball team had its five-game winning streak snapped by Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday afternoon, losing a 3-2 ball game at E.M. Stevens Field.

Trinity (6-4) and Hardin-Simmons were tied at 2-2 going into the ninth, and the visitors loaded the bases with one out.  On a pop-up to shallow left field, Trinity's defense lost the ball in the sun and was unable to make the play.  Second baseman Jeff Claydon looked like he had it, then turned to the outfield to ask for help. 

As the ball dropped a few feet away from Claydon and right fielder Dillan Early, Hardin-Simmons baserunner Ryan Stepp was tagging from third and headed home after the ball hit the grass.  Both of the other runners also raced for the next base, and Claydon's throw to second was an attempt to get a force out.  The throw beat the runner, but the umpire did not call the runner out. 

The runner, James Gage, assumed he was out because the throw beat him to the base, so he stepped off of second and began to get ready for the bottom of the ninth.  Shortstop Stosh Hoover, confused by not getting the force out call, looked to the umpire for help.  Encouraged by his teammates and many Trinity fans, Hoover walked over to Gage, applied the tag, and got the "out" call from the umpire. 

Upon review, because the second baseman was fielding the ball with runners on the bases and no outs, the umpires ruled an infield fly - which automatically put out hitter Tre Sellari.  Also, because Stepp scored from third before Hoover tagged out the runner, the run counted and gave Hardin-Simmons the eventual winning run.

Hardin-Simmons scored first in the game, after Taylor Berlin hit a solo homer to left field in the second inning off of Tiger starter Evan Bronson.  Bronson (2-1) went 8.1 innings, giving up three runs and striking out five batters.

Trinity struck back with two unearned runs in the fourth inning, plating both runs after a two-out error extended the inning.  Hardin-Simmons tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single up the middle with two outs.  The score remained tied until the strange ninth inning.

Jeff Claydon finished 2-5 in the game, while Steven Ramos was 2-3 with a pair of solid singles.  Jordan Pennington and Dominick Robusto both scored runs, while Kyle Felix had the team's lone RBI.

Trinity will face DeSales University in a two-game weekend series that begins on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.  Game two will be at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.