KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Trine University baseball team wrapped up their three-game slate with Kalamazoo College on Monday afternoon and the Thunder were able to top their Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opponent 7-5.

Trine utilized clutch hitting in the eighth and ninth innings to record a comeback victory. It was a two-RBI double by senior Brenden Warner [Richland, Mich. / Hackett Catholic Prep] in the eighth that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

It is the first time this season that the Thunder (9-13, 4-3 MIAA) have won a game after trailing in the seventh inning or later. The Hornets (11-8, 4-3 MIAA) still win the series two-games-to-one, but Trine pulls even with Kalamazoo in the league standings.

Adam Stefanelli [Westerville, Ohio / Westerville North] provided a spark with a solo homerun in the top of the first, the first longball of his career. Unfortunately, the lead would not last long as the Hornets put up a three-spot in the bottom half.

Easton Rhodes [Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb] and Dalton Nikirk [Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence] reached base to start the second, and were pushed 90 feet due to a sacrifice bunt, but were left on base. Three hits by the visitors in the third got Trine to within one. Tyler Robinson [Schaumburg, Ill. / Schaumburg] led off the frame with a single and Rhodes delivered a two-out RBI base hit.

Two extra base hits by the Hornets cancelled out the run scored by the Thunder and made it 4-2 at the one-third point. The two would trade runs once more in the fourth when Avery Fulford [Conifer, Colo. / Conifer] scored on a wild pitch and Kalamazoo plated a run in the fifth with a single through the left side.

Gary DeMartino [Beavercreek, Ohio / Owens C.C.] started the seventh inning with a base hit and came around to score when Fulford singled with two away. That made it 5-4 and traffic on the basepaths in the eighth allowed Trine to strike. The first three hitters reach via a Matthew Martin [Eureka, Ill. / Eureka] hit, Robinson bunt single and Stefanelli hit by pitch. From there, the cleanup man Warner laced a two-run double down the left field line to claim a 6-5 lead.

A Hornet reliever was able to keep the damage at one through the eighth, but a wild pitch in the ninth provided an insurance run for Trine at 7-5. After entering the game in the fifth inning, Robert Kortas [New Baltimore, Mich. / Anchor Bay] was effective on the bump with 4.2 innings of shutout baseball. Kortas would be credited with the win (2-1) and a no decision went to starter Kade Keele [Fort Wayne, Ind. / New Haven].

Trine slugged 14 hits in total, including four players with multiple hits on the day. Robinson and Rhodes were both 3-for-4 with one base on balls, while Fulford was 2-for-4 and Warner 2-for-5. Warner's two-run double was the only time multiple runs came across to score on a play and Stefanelli was the only man with two runs.

Conference action continues for the Thunder at home on Wednesday, April 13 when rival Adrian College visits Angola for a single nine-inning game beginning at 3 pm.