Trojans drop final home games of season to Panthers
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 | Season StatsDEERFIELD, Ill. -- With their highest offensive output of the season, the Trinity International Trojans were poised to take their first win of the season, but a late rally from the Purdue-North Central Panthers closed the door on the TIU home schedule, as the Panthers took both ends of the doubleheader Friday afternoon, 7-4 in game one, and 13-10 in game two.
The Trojans (0-26, 0-18 CCAC) had their highest run-total of the year in a single game, with 10 runs in the second of the twinbill, as well as most runs in a doubleheader, with 14 runs scored overall. TIU also cranked a combined 21 base hits on the day, hitting a combined .318 over both games.
TIU worked to try and overcome an early 7-0 deficit in the first game of the day, as well as a slow start at the plate. TIU collected just four singles over the first five innings of play, as the PNC pitchers retired ten straight Trojans at one point.
Jamie Stanton's one-out triple set the table for senior
Samantha Payne, who drove in the runner with her double to left field on the next play, closing the Panther lead to 7-1.
Trinity rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 7th, as
Justine Wigboldy started the run with a leadoff double, then scored on a double from
Breanna Hansen on the next play. Down to their final out,
Jamie Stanton cranked a 2-RBI double that pulled the Trojans to within three, but a ground out would end the game on the next at-bat.
In the second game of the day, TIU struck early as Payne and Wigboldy both drove in runs to give the Trojans an early 2-0 lead. After the Panthers put up four runs in the top of the 3rd, the Trojans answered again, with a 2-out, 2-RBI triple from Wigboldy to tie the game.
Purdue-North Central again seemed to pull away in the fourth, scoring five runs on five hits, to take a 9-4 lead. After tacking on another run in the fifth, PNC held a six-run advantage. Trinity battled back, recording their highest-scoring inning of the season; the first eight hitters reached base, and six scored, to tie the game at 10-10. Wigboldy again had the highlight of the rally, with another 2-RBI base hit. Jamie Weaver,
Victoria Livingston,
Dania Pristach, and
Tina Lebar all contribued to the rally with one RBI apiece.
That would be the end of the threat from the TIU bats, however, as Purdue-North Central would pull away with three straight hitters collecting a 2-out RBI to put the Panthers ahead for good 13-10. The Trojans were held hitless throughout the sixth and seventh to close the door.
Payne and Wigboldy each had multi-hit performances in both games on Friday, while Wigboldy finished with a career-high five RBIs in the second game of the day. Payne finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate with two RBIs, two doubles, and three runs scored.
The Trojans will wrap up the 2014 season on Saturday, when they travel to Robert Morris. First pitch for the afternoon doubleheader is scheduled for noon.
