By Sports Information Student Assistant Caitlin Reynolds

ANGOLA, Ind. - The Trine University baseball team earned a split with visiting Hope College, who is currently first place in the MIAA. The Thunder dropped the first game 8-4, and battled to take the second game 7-2. The split pushes the Thunder to 12-11 on the season and 8-6 in conference action.

In the opener, Hope would threaten in both the first and second innings, but would come up short as the Thunder defense stepped up and held them scoreless. Trine escaped a jam in the first thanks to a run saving diving catch by freshman Kory Shackle (Butler, Ohio/Mount Union) in right field to end the threat.

Hope would open scoring in the third inning however, as a collision in the outfield led to a leadoff triple which started the rally. Hope would get five consecutive hits to put up a three spot.

Trine answered back in their own half of the third inning with a solo home run over the left center fence from freshman Carter Stafford (Waterloo, Ind./DeKalb), which was also the Thunder's first hit of the game.

Hope was not done, and in the fourth inning they put up four more runs. Two consecutive bunt base hits and error on the part of the Thunder followed by a sacrifice would run the score to 7-1.

Trine would start to rally in the fifth as Shackle would start things off with a leadoff double to right center, which would be followed by an infield base hit from junior Adam Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Elmhurst). Stafford came up huge once again with an RBI single through the middle to score Shackle from third. The Thunder would plate two more runs off of a two-run double to right from senior Tom Wilder (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield).

That would be as close as the Thunder would get however, as Hope put one more run up in the top of the seventh and the Thunder fell by a score of 8-4.

Sophomore Jakeb Briscoe (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) would take the loss to move to 2-2 on the season. Briscoe pitched three innings, giving up 10 hits, and seven runs while racking up three strikeouts. Junior Jeremy Spalding (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Central Catholic) came on and pitched four innings of relief allowing three hits and giving up one run while striking out two.

Trine came out ready to play in game two, as they threatened to score in the first two innings. Shackle was robbed of an extra base hit, as he hit a shot to left field that was run down and caught at the fence to end the inning.

It would be Stafford starting things off once again for the Thunder in the bottom of the third, and he did it in exactly the same fashion as he did in game one, with a solo homerun to left center field. One out later, Wilder would follow with a solo shot of his own to left, the first of his career to put the Thunder up 2-0.

Hope answered back with one of their own in the top of the fourth, but the Thunder would but the game away in the bottom of the inning and Trine would get that run back and then some.

Senior Matt Zurbriggen (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point), who missed the first game to take his engineering exams,  came up with an RBI single up the middle. After a single by Shackle put runners on the corners, Sullivan would be hit by the pitch to load the bases. Stafford would run his count to full before getting an RBI walk to bring in Zurbriggen. Sophomore Ethan Prebynski (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) broke the game wide open with a two- run single, scoring both Shackle and Sullivan, to put the Thunder up 6-1.

Hope would get their final run fifth off a leadoff bunt single and a Trine error.

Junior Andrew DeGood (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton) started off the bottom of the fifth with a one-out base hit and would advance to second thanks to a wild throw on a failed pickoff attempt. DeGood would then come around to score on an RBI single up the middle from Shackle for the final run of the game.

Sophomore Edward Tomich (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) got the start on the mound and went 3 1/3 innings giving up just five hits and allowing one run while striking out one. Senior Jake Rightnowar (Oregon, Ohio/Toledo Christian) would get the win on the mound, coming in for 3 2/3 innings of relief, giving up just two hits and a run while striking out three to move his record to 2-3 on the season.

Stafford lead the Thunder at the plate for the day going 4-for-7 including two home runs and four RBIs. Prebynski, Wilder and Shackle all added three hits of their own. Wilder added three RBIs on the day while Prebynski added two.

After a day off, the Thunder will finish off the four-game series with Hope as they head to Holland on April 15 for a doubleheader at 2:00 p.m.