KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --- The Trojan baseball team kicked off their 2021 spring break trip of Tennessee and Kentucky (dubbed the "Southern Invasion") on Friday and Saturday as they battled the Johnson University Royals in a pair of doubleheaders in non-conference action. The games are the first for the Trojans since starting the season 1-2 back in early February in Alabama.

In their opener Friday afternoon, Sam Willis got the start for the Trojans on the mound. Much of the early game was filled with fireworks as TIU jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Royals tied the game with a three-run homerun in the bottom of the first. After early struggles that saw Johnson go up 6-5 in the third inning, Christian Mackenzie entered the game in relief in the fifth, helping slow the Royals offense. A Julius Torres groundout would allow TIU to tie the game in the fifth, before Jose Matos chopped the go-ahead RBI single into center field to give Trinity a 7-6 lead. Blaze Lazaris would drive in an extra insurance run to help TIU win their opening game down south, 9-8. 

The second game of the first day of action would be a struggle for the Trojans on both offense and defense. With Matos on the mound, TIU gave up 16 runs in the second inning as the Royals offense notched 17 total hits of Trinity's pitching staff en route to a 22-7 blow out over the Trojans. TIU was able to scratch seven runs across home plate in the third and fourth innings, thanks to a Jalen Austin triple and Dominic Olech double.

In the opening game of day two, freshman Noah Waltz started for TIU. Despite surrendering six runs in the first three innings, Waltz quickly came back and slowed the Royals down with a scoreless fourth fifth inning with seven strikeouts before handing the game off to the bullpen. Trinity's offense struck in the second inning with Luis Henriquez driving in a pair of runs on an infield hit to the shortstop, while Torres and Zorion Pullen each drove in one run each. Lazaris would walk with the bases loaded in the sixth to score TIU's fifth run of the game before Lance Louchheim scored on a wild pitch, and Matt Pierson drove home the game's two winning runs on a single to left field. Olech would hold off Johnson in the bottom of the seventh, allowing just one walk in his two innings of relief to give the Trojans the 9-8 win.

To close out their second day in Knoxville, TIU handed starting duties to senior Kurtis Sippy. Johnson would score the first two runs of game two, but the Trinity bats came ready to play in their final game of the weekend scoring nine runs over the course of the next five innings. Torres, along with Willis and Brendan Lacey would all notch a double over the course of the series finale, with Willis delivering the biggest hit of the weekend, a two-run home blast over the fence in the fourth inning to give TIU a 5-2 lead. Trinity would add on with RBI hits by Henriquez, Lazaris and Lacey, with Pullen bringing home a run thanks to an error by the Royal's shortstop. Sippy would work six full innings on the mound with five strikeouts, earning the win with an 11-9 final score.

ADDITIONAL SERIES NOTES

• Friday and Saturday's games in Knoxville were the first meetings all-time between TIU and Johnson.

• Blake Lazaris led the weekend with nine runs batted in on six hits. Julius Torres notched eight hits in 14 plate appearances with two stolen bases.

• With two hits over the course of the weekend, Matt Pierson tied Matt Lattimer (2017-20) for ninth all-time on the program's list for most career hits (141).

• Pierson's three bases on balls over the four game series give him 52 for his career, tying him with Steve Callado (2010-12) for eighth most in program history.

• Sam Willis' game one win on Friday marked the third win of his career, and second of the season.

• Jose Matos' loss in the second game on Friday marked the first pitching decision of his playing career. Matos has now pitched a total of 12.1 innings for TIU.

• Johnson's 22 runs scored in Friday's second game are the most allowed by Trinity since giving up 27 to Olivet Nazarene on April 20, 2019 in the second game of a conference doubleheader in Deerfield.

• Jalen Austin's seventh inning triple in Friday's second game was the first of his career. Dominic Olech also notched his first double of the season later that inning.

• In his first collegiate start, Noah Waltz earned the first victory of his career in Saturday's openers with five innings of work with seven strikeouts, the most by any Trojan pitcher all weekend.

• Kurtis Sippy picked up the third win of his TIU career late Saturday afternoon. He is now 1-1 on the season.

• Sam Willis' home run in the series finale was his third career collegiate home run, and his first since Oct. 4, 2019 at Lincoln Christian.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (4-3) will return to action on Tuesday afternoon as they travel to Wilmore, Kentucky for one game against the Asbury College Eagles at the Kirkland Complex First pitch is scheduled for 4:00pm EST

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Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.