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Box Score 2 DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Coming off their non-conference win Monday night, the Trinity International Trojans had the momentum and came within just a few plays of sweeping the doubleheader, falling to the Holy Cross Saints 5-2 in game one, before rebounding to win game two, 4-2 on Tuesday afternoon.
Trailing early in the opener, the Trojans (7-16, 3-7 CCAC) tallied runs in the first and fifth to eventually tie the score and force extra innings. After Holy Cross (13-24, 7-5 CCAC) put up two runs in the top of the first, A.J. Bruner cut into the deficit with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, scoring Scott Krawiec. The Trojans then tied the game thanks to Jeff Lindberg's single in the fifth, driving home Jon Grotelueschen. Scheduled as a 7-inning affair, Holy Cross rallied for three runs on two hits in the eighth to take the first win of the day.
The second game proved to be another pitcher's duel, as both sides were held scoreless until the fourth inning, when Ian Gilliam and Tony Guidone each picked up RBIs for Trinity International. After the Saints responded with a run in the top of the fifth, the Trojans pulled away with Cameron Stanley's two-out, two-RBI single, making it a 4-1 score.
Both TIU starting pitchers had solid performances on the day. A.J. Bruner got the nod in game one, pitching all eight innings while only getting in real trouble twice; in the first inning, when a pair of runs scored to give Holy Cross a 2-0 edge, and in the eighth, when the Saints rallied to take the game in extra innings. Bruner retired seven straight batters at one point midway through the game, and finished his day with five strikeouts.
Junior Nick Robinson picked up his first win of the season in game two, going five and 1/3 innings and scattering three hits on the day with no earned runs. Freshman Dakota Pisarek came on in relief, and recorded his first save of the season, with no hits over the final 1 and 2/3 innings.
At the plate, Bruner finished a combined 4-for-8 over both games, with an RBI and a run scored. The Evansville, Ind. native finished as the only TIU player to have multiple hits in a game, doing it in both games on Tuesday. Bruner currently holds an eight-game hitting streak, currently the longest active streak for TIU.
The Trojans continue their busy week on Friday, when they travel to the Redmond Athletic Complex in Bensenville, Ill., to take on the Robert Morris Eagles. The single, 9-inning game is set for a 5:00 p.m. start. TIU then returns home on Saturday, to face the Eagles in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m.
