SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Austin College baseball team dropped its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference-opening series at No. 19-ranked Trinity University this weekend, falling 10-0 in games one and two before coming up just short of pulling off the upset in a 5-4 game three loss.
The 'Roos were limited to one hit in the series opener on Friday evening, with Jake Trapani singling in the game and finishing 1-for-3 at the plate. Austin College kept things close through the first few innings, as the game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Tigers got a run across. Trinity broke things open in the bottom of the fourth, plating five runs to surge ahead 6-0, and the lead would grow to 7-0 in the sixth. Three more runs came home for the Tigers in the seventh to make it 10-0 and end the game.
Trystan Mallory suffered his first loss of the season, surrendering five runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work. Mallory struck out three but walked a season-high six batters in the game. Joseph Chavana went the distance for Trinity to get the win, striking out 11 'Roos.
In game two, Trinity's Jackson Teer tossed a complete game no-hitter with nine strikeouts to open things up on Saturday. Trinity took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame, and that remained the score until the bottom of the fifth, when the Tigers plated five runs to open things up. Two more runs scored in the sixth, ending the game at 10-0. Justin Lambright got the loss for Austin College, giving up eight runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks in 4.1 innings of action. Ezra Gore went 2-for-4 with four RBI to pace the Tigers at the dish.
The series finale on Saturday saw the Tigers once again take an early lead, plating a run in the third and adding three more in the fourth to go on top 4-0. Austin College got right back into it in the top of the fifth, however, with Ashton Cason singling home a run to get things started. Brandon Hill doubled home a run in the inning as well, and Branson Vrazel brought Hill home with a base hit to right field to cut it to a 4-3 game.
Trinity extended the lead to 5-3 in the eighth, but Austin College got the run back in the top of the ninth when Cason knocked in another run. The 'Roos had both the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth, but were unable to bring them home as the game ended 5-4.
Garrett Gray took the loss for Austin College, giving up four runs - three earned - on six hits in 5.2 innings of action. Six different 'Roos got a base hit in the game, with Cason going 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI while Tripp Thoms went 1-for-4 and scored twice. Michael Boeke got the win in relief for Trinity, while Harrison Durow picked up the save.