AMHERST, Mass. – The Trinity College Baseball team advanced to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Baseball Championship Semifinals for the first time since 2016 after defeating host Amherst College, 9-8, in 10 innings, at Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 20-15 on the season, while the Mammoths sit at 19-16 overall.
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The Bantams plated a pair of runs in the first inning behind an RBI single from
Andrew Park and an RBI sac fly from
William Sawyer. The Mammoths trimmed the gap to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning with a double steal.
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In the top of the fourth,
Adam Niman ripped an RBI single to left field, and then came around to score on an RBI double from
Tyler Bernstein to build a 4-1 lead for the Bantams. The Mammoths grabbed their first lead of the game in the bottom of the frame as J.J. Grimes laced an RBI double to centerfield, and Jack Boyle knocked an RBI single and then scored on a throwing error while stealing third to put Amherst ahead 5-4.
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Trinity regained the lead in the fifth behind RBI singles from
Ryder Aubin and
Luis Saldivia, followed by an RBI single from Sawyer in the sixth to capture a 7-5 advantage. In the eighth, Bernstein tripled to right field and scored as the throw to third sailed wide, setting the score at 8-5. The Mammoths forced extra innings with three runs in the eighth on a solo home run from Ryan McIntyre and a two-run double from Boyle. The deciding swing came in the top of the tenth as Park belted a solo home run over the right field fence to send Trinity to the 9-8 victory.
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The Bantams tallied 13 hits, paced by two-hit efforts from Bernstein, Park, Sawyer and Saldivia. Bernstein knocked tow extra-base hits and scored twice, while Park and Sawyer drove in a pair and scored. Trinity starter
Brendan Grady gave up five runs, four earned, on five hits with two strikeouts, while Andrew Perez (2-0) earned the win in relief, allowing two runs, one earned, with two strikeouts.
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The Bantams will await the conclusion of Sunday's game to determine their opponent to open Championship weekend at Bowdoin College May 9-11.
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TRINITY ATHLETICS