BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The Trojan baseball team took on the Lincoln College Lynx on Friday and Saturday afternoon in a three-game series in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) action. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, TIU looked to finish the year on a high note ahead of next week's CCAC Tournament play-in game.

Jio Ledesma started game one for Trinity in Friday's game in Lincoln, looking to bounce back from a loss at Saint Ambrose last weekend. The Trojans got out to an early lead with Luis Henriqez and Julius Torres scoring on a pair of batted balls, while Blake Lazaris crossed home plate on a wild pitch by the Lincoln catcher for a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Lynx would respond with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom of the first before Brendan Lacey scored on an error in the second for a 4-2 lead. 

From there, Lincoln would make solid contact against Ledesma for nine runs over the next three innings, aided by six total TIU errors. Trinity would score only two more runs the rest of the game with Lazaris reaching home in the fifth, and Zorion Pullen scoring in the sixth en route to a tough 17-6 loss in seven innings.

In search of new life on Saturday, Kurtis Sippy started the first game of Saturday's home doubleheader in his final start at the TIU Baseball Field. After the Lynx scored one run in the first inning, the Trojans responded with an RBI double by Matt Pierson to score Lazaris in the third. 

Pierson again played hero as he drove in the game-winning run two innings later in the fifth with a single to right field to bring home Lazaris. With Dominik Olech pitching the final four innings, the right-hander struck out six batters and allowed just one hit as TIU snapped their losing streak with a 2-1 victory in seven innings.

Austin Salemi started the final game of the series for Trinity, but struggled with his command, giving up three runs in the opening frame. Stepping up in relief, Noah Waltz took to the mound for four innings of work while the Trojan offense went to work. Lazaris got things started with a two-run home run following a Torres walk in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back walks by Pierson and Jose Matos with the bases loaded would drive in two more TIU runs in the third before Andrew Johnson drove in Sam Willis on an infield error. Pullen would cap the third with a two-run single to right field to put the Trojans up 7-5. 

In the fourth, Matos would score on a wild pitch before two more Trinity runs would score on Lazaris reaching base on a fielder's choice to score Henriquez and Pullen on an error. In the seventh, Matos doubled to bring home Willis, before Johnson brought the Trojan right fielder home on an RBI single to left to extend Trinity's lead to 13-6. TIU would cap the offensive explosion with a solo home run in the seventh by Willis, and a Torres sacrifice fly to center to score Lacey for a dominant 15-6 rout to take the series two games to one.

ADDITIONAL SERIES NOTES

•  After taking two of three from the Lynx, TIU leads the all-time series against Lincoln 2-1. This weekend's series was the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

• Saturday's doubleheader sweep marked just the fourth time this season Trinity has won back-to-back games.

• Prior to Saturday's games, the TIU baseball team honored their ten graduating seniors, Julius Torres, Matt Pierson, Brendan Lacey, Ian Ryan, Jalen Austin, Luis Henriquez, Sam Willis, Lance Louchheim, Sam Hardy, and Kurtis Sippy.

• Blake Lazaris led the Trojans over the three game series with five hits in 11 plate appearances, including six runs scored, six RBI's, a home run and a double. Pierson notched six hits in nine at bats with one double and three RBI's.

• Jio Ledesma dropped to 1-4 after the loss in Friday's series opener. 

• Lazaris' double on Friday was his 13th of the season.

• Zorion Pullen, Sam Edington, Torres and Lacey each recorded a stolen base in Friday's loss at Lincoln.

• With the win in Saturday's opener, Dominik Olech improved his pitching record to 2-1 on the season.

• Pierson's game one double on Saturday was his 13th of the season and 42nd of his career, extending his own school record.

• Trinity's nine run victory in Saturday's second game was their second largest margin of victory this season. TIU defeated Maranatha Baptist by ten two weeks ago at home.

• TIU's 15 runs in the series finale were the most scored in a game this season.

• Noah Waltz earned the win in Saturday's second game, improving his record to 2-4 on the mound this year.

• Lazaris' two-run home run in the first inning of Saturday's finale was his third of the year, and fifth of his career.

• Sam Willis' solo home run in the seventh inning of Saturday's second game was his ninth of the season, and 11th of his career.

• Willis' home run ties him for the fifth most in a single season in school history, while also tying him with Kevin Tenney (2010-11) for the fifth most long balls in program history.

• TIU stole six bases in Saturday's second game. Torres stole two bases, while Andrew Johnson, Lazaris, Lacey and Pullen each stole once.

UP NEXT

The Trojans conclude the 2021 regular season with a 14-27 record, and 6-23 in CCAC play. TIU has clinched the tenth-seed and will travel to Crestwood to take on seventh-seeded Roosevelt on Tuesday, May 4 in the CCAC Tournament Play-In Game. The winner of Tuesday's matchup will advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament which will begin on May 6 at DuPage Medical Group Field in Joliet. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm on Tuesday at Ozinga Field, and can be listened to LIVE on the Laker 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.