Baseball
 

April 20, 2007

Trinity Opens Series With Loss to Rhodes

Millington, Tennessee - The Tiger baseball team opened up a best-of-three series at the SCAC Divisional Playoffs with a 15-4 loss to Rhodes College on Saturday afternoon.

Trinity (18-21) fell behind early and never fully recovered as the Lynx invoked the second run-rule in as many games at the tournament, which started today.

Rhodes opened the game with five runs in the first inning against Tiger starter Drew Bignall, who fell to 2-4 with the loss.  The Trinity offense answered with a couple of runs on back-to-back RBI doubles in the second, but Rhodes regained the five-run advantage with two more runs in the bottom of the inning.

Again, Trinity responded with two runs in its next inning to cut the lead to 7-4 heading into the bottom of the third.  Rhodes, though, was up to the task once more - chasing Bignall from the game with three more runs to take its biggest lead at 10-4.

Trinity could not score again, and after another five-run inning by Rhodes (in the sixth), the run-rule was in effect.  The Tigers did have nine hits, but stranded nine runners on base.

Robert Flanagan (11-1) took the win for Rhodes, pitching a complete game and allowing just four runs - three earned - on nine hits through seven innings of work.

Ricky Welch was 2-4 with two runs scored for the Tigers, while Teddy Wilson drove in a pair of runs.  Wilson and Samulski had the team's only extra-base hits - both RBI doubles in the second.

Matt Beesley was 2-4 with two runs and five RBI for Rhodes, while J.R. Bizzell was 3-4 with three runs scored and two RBI - cracking two triples.  Mason Mosby also had three hits, scoring twice and driving in two more.  Drew Hubbard also scored a pair of runs for the Lynx.

The two teams will play again tomorrow afternoon with the season on the line for Trinity.  If Rhodes wins game two, they win the series and advance to the SCAC Championships next weekend.  Should Trinity win, the series will continue on Sunday.