JOLIET, Ill.. --- The TIU Trojans baseball team played their third doubleheader in three days on Thursday afternoon as they visited the Fighting Saints of St. Francis at DuPage Medical Group Field in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play in a doubleheader. Coming off a home split of Saint Xavier just a day earlier, the Trojans looked to replicate their performance and start to string together a much needed set of wins.

One day after securing his first career save, Jio Ledesma started game one on the mound for Trinity. While the Saints would record ten hits against the senior right-hander, the TIU defense wouldn't allow many runners to cross home plate on the afternoon with 12 flyouts and seven groundouts. After falling behind 1-0 early, the Trojans responded in the top of the second inning as Julius Torres scored the tying run on a Jalen Austin groundout to second. 

Facing a one run deficit in the fourth, Austin again grounded into a double play, but managed to get Blake Lazaris across home plate to tie the game at two. The opening game scheduled for seven innings would go to extras, where the Saints would walk off the Trojans on a Josh Tesch RBI single to center field off Kurtis Sippy in relief, handing Trinity the 3-2 loss.

Game two would be a struggle for TIU in all aspects of the game, with Austin Salemi starting on the mound. The Saints came out of the gate swinging and posting six runs on Salemi in the first inning in a game that saw Salemi walk four batters and surrender 12 runs in the first two innings. While Jalen Austin would stem the damage in relief with six strikeouts, the Trojan offense struggled greatly to respond. 

Trinity wouldn't crack the scoreboard until the sixth inning as Lance Louchheim drove in Sam Willis on an RBI single up the right side, and Luis Henriquez scored on a Sam Hardy bases loaded walk. Lazaris would score Juilius Torres on a groundout to the shortstop in the seventh, but it would not be enough as the Trojans fell 16-3 in game two.

ADDITIONAL SERIES NOTES

• With Thursday's losses, the Trojans falls to 8-25 all-time against St. Francis. The Saints have won nine straight over Trinity.

• St. Francis sweeps the season of the Trojans having won both today's doubleheader and the single nine inning game on Tuesday.

• TIU has dropped their last seven games to the Fighting Saints after Thursday's losses.

• Kurtis Sippy falls to 1-6 on the season with the loss in game one.

• Starting game one, Jio Ledesma gave up 4 extra base hits in the game one loss, including three doubles and one triple.

• Blake Lazaris' stolen base in game one was his fourth of the season, and 11th of his career.

• Julius Torres' game one triple was the first of his career.

• Austin Salemi drops to 1-3 on the year with the loss in game two.

• Torres' steal in game two was his fifth of the season, and 17th of his career.

• The 16 runs scored by the Saints in game two are tied for the second most runs allowed by TIU this season in a conference game.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (9-18) return to the diamond on Saturday afternoon, April 17 as they host the Sabercats of Maranatha Baptist in a non-conference doubleheader at the TIU Baseball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm, and can be watched LIVE on the Trojan Sports Network.

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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.