Trinity Baseball Takes Out Bates in Weekend Series

MEGHAN O’REILLY ’18
STAFF WRITER
On Saturday, Apr. 23, the Trinity College Baseball team played the first game of a double-header against the Bates Bobcats. The first game did not start well for the Bantams, who went scoreless for the first four innings. The game remained scoreless until the fifth when Bates scored by way of an RBI single by Ryan McCarthy. However Trinity responded loudly in the bottom of the inning when Ian Steckel ’19 reached first on a single. Following a walk by Brendan Pierce ’18 and two Bates errors, Steckel reached home to tie the game. With the bases loaded, Nick Pezzella ’16 hit an RBI single that brought Pierce home. The Bantams kept their 2-1 lead the rest of the game that ended with catcher Scott Cullinane ’16 throwing a Bates runner out trying to steal second. Anthony Egeln Jr. ’18 pitched the entire seven innings and his fourth win of the season. The Bantams continued a five game win streak and clinched an appearance in the NESCAC playoffs.
After beating Bates in a close game, the Bantams dominated the second game of the series. In the first inning, after reaching first on a walk, Pezzella stole second and eventually advanced to third on a balk. Johnny Stamatis ’19 drove Pezzella home for Trinity’s first run. However, Bates came back in the next inning and evened the score. In the fourth, the Bobcats scored again off a double and error. Bates added another run during the top of the seventh when a single and a triple turned into another run. The Bantams trailed -3 going into the bottom of the seventh, but that quickly changed when the first batter, Steckel, homered, bringing the score to 2-3. Ricky Spencer ’16 then singled, allowing Mackenze Genauer ’16 to pinch run and senior Scott Cullinane ’16 to cap off the inning with a two -run homer that sent the Bants up 4-3. The bottom of the eighth was also favorable for Trinity, with Ben Reinisch ’19 reaching first on an error by Bates. Daniel Pidgeon ’16 then drove Reinisch home with a double and Steckel singled, allowing Pidgeon to score from second. Bates could do nothing in their final at bat, going scoreless in the last inning. The Bantams swept Bates and walked away 14-14 overall and 7-5 in the NESCAC conference. The men will play Middlebury next Saturday, Apr. 30 in a two game series.