SAUGET, Ill. -- A long winter finally ended Friday afternoon for the TIU Baseball program, who began their 2015 campaign with three games against the Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) Trojans from GCS Stadium near St. Louis. TIU struggled in the early portions of each game, giving up seven combined runs in the first innings of each game and falling 9-0, 9-4, and 7-2 during the season opener.

Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Season Stats

Freshman Colt Foerch had the best performance at the plate, hitting .500 over the three games, with one RBI and one run scored. In the opening game, Foerch collected two of the team's four hits, as TIU saw just two baserunners get into scoring position throughout the game. Hannibal-LaGrange got out in front early, scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the first, then pulled away with three runs in the fifth, and four runs in the sixth for the 9-0 result.

Foerch, Jon Debowey, and Justin VanderNaald all had multi-hit performances in game two, as Trinity had its best offensive output in the middle game of the day. HLGU jumped out early again, with a pair of runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 edge. TIU got on the board in the top of the second, after an Edward Piotrowski leadoff walk and VanderNaald single set the table for Treyvon Holloway to drive in the year's first RBI, on a hard-hit single to left to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Hannibal-LaGrange answered with a three-spot in the bottom of the inning, however, taking a 5-1 lead going into the third. VanderNaald and Josh Crist each drove in a two-out RBI in the third, scoring Foerch and Debowey, respectively. The Trojans made it a one-run game in the fourth, when Holloway scored after his leadoff walk, on Foerch's single through the right side of the infield. Trinity were unable to pull even, despite leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, before HLGU scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to again pull away.

In game three, HGLU scored three runs in the bottom of the first to claim another early lead. Debowey got the Trojans on the board in the top of the fourth, with his solo home run out to left field, for his first homer of the season. Piotrowski scored later in the inning, after his double to right, advancing on a pair of groundouts to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Two more runs for Hannibal-LaGrange in the bottom of the sixth, after a pair of walks and a fielding error, would put the comeback out of reach.

The Trojans will be back in action next week, when they head south to Normal, Ill., for a doubleheader with the Lincoln Christian Lions. First pitch from The Corn Crib in Normal is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 21.