HARTFORD, CONN.. – The Trinity College baseball team was topped in non-conference play against visiting Brandeis University Judges at DiBenedetto Stadium Tuesday afternoon. The Bantams fell, 13-8, Bantams received their first loss of the season with a 2-1 record, while Brandeis recorded their first win, 1-2 to start their season.
The Judges wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as they tacked on 5 hits in the first two innings, 3 in the first and 2 in the second. The Bantams added two runs of their own in the bottom of second with back-to-back team doubles from William Frain to left center placing him on second, followed by Jack Ryan to left field, sending Frain home for Trinity's first run. Bantams added their second run as Ryan stole home while Brandeis catcher was throwing out Jason Gaudio at first after a third dropped strike. After two innings the Judges lead 5-2 in the game.
Brandeis pushed their lead to 10-2 in the top of the third, with 5 runs and 4 hits in the inning. Bantams added 1 run with a sacrifice fly out by Sean Meth to send home Tyler Bernstein.
In the top of the fourth, the Judges grew their score by two after Jordan Greenaway scored off of a wild pitch from Bantams Joseph Capano, followed immediately by another run scoring off of a passed ball. Trinity remained at 3 after a scoreless fourth inning, 12-3 after the bottom of the fourth.
Bantams and Judges both add one run to each of their scores in the fifth inning. Brandeis' Evan Reif singled to send home Jake Freed for their 13th run. Trinity's Jack Matthews grounded out to Brandeis third basemen, sending home Bernstein for the Bantams 4th run.
After a scoreless top of the 6th inning for the Judges, Bantam's Tanner Fairchild singled deep into right center for a double RBI to kickstart the inning, with William Sawyer and William Frain scoring, 13-6. Sawyer would steal home on a wild pitch by Judges Marc Maestri to tack on the Bantams 7th run. The final run of the inning was unearned by Fairchild after a dropped infield fly by Brandeis' Maestri for the Bantams 8th run. Bantams creep their way back into the game after a four run inning heading into the 7th 13-8.
Sam Craven stepped onto the mound for the Bantams at the top of the sixth where he threw 6 strikeouts and let up 1 hit in back-to-back innings, holding the Judges at 13 runs leading into the bottom of the seventh. Bantams are held to no runs in the bottom of the sixth with two strikeouts sniped by Dimitri Skourides.
Tommy Fahey made an appearance on the mound for the Bantams, wrapping up the eighth with no hits or runs scored by the Judges. A dropped ball in short centerfield by the Judges shortstop, the second error of the game for Brandeis put the Bantams on first but were held at 8 runs closing out the inning.
In the ninth inning Walter Schwartz tossed a 1-2-3 inning, recording two strikeouts with no hits. Bantams stepped up for their final at-bat in the match-up attempting to scratch the surface on the lead, with a triple from William Frain, the first hit of the inning with 2 outs on the board. With runners on first and third Trinity but fell short 13-8 for the final after the closing of the 9th.
Trinity will compete in their spring games in the Round Robin down in Lexington, South Carolina next week, with a start on Saturday, March 9th against Swarthmore College at 10AM.
