PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – A split doubleheader on Friday salvaged the weekend's three-game series for Trinity Baseball, as the Trolls took one of three against St. Francis, falling 3-2 on Friday's opener before bouncing back in game two, 5-4. On Saturday, the Saints took the rubber match, 10-7.

The Trolls (20-22, 14-9 CCAC) slip into a three-way tie for 4th in the CCAC standings following the series, as six teams are within 1.5 games for the top spot. Trinity closes the regular season this week with a single game on Tuesday against league leaders St. Ambrose, and a three-game set with Saint Xavier (1.0 GB) beginning Friday.

In the first game on Friday, the Saints (20-24, 15-8 CCAC) took an early lead with a run in the bottom of the 1st, then added two more for a 3-0 lead through four innings. Trinity rallied late, with back-to-back doubles to lead off the top of the 7th, from Hunter Slaats and Anthony Cappelletti. Angel Toscana's base hit in the following at-bat would cut the lead to 3-2, but a double-play killed the rally to give the Saints the win.

The Trolls struck first in game two, as a two-out rally in the bottom of the 5th resulted in three runs on three hits, with RBI singles from Tommy Schaaf, Jordan Veldman, and Michael Moralez. The Trolls tacked on another run in the 6th and 7th, for a 5-2 advantage. St. Francis would respond with runs in the 8th and 9th, before Gunnar Bettenhausen closed out the win with his first save of the year.

A back-and-forth game three saw the Saints take an early 3-0 lead, scoring on two hits and an error in the bottom of the 1st. A pair of leadoff singles in the 2nd allowed Cappelletti and Slaats to score on a throwing error, and Schaaf's groundout brought home Oliver Carmody to even the score. Nick Andersen's two-out RBI double highlighted a three-run rally in the top of the 4th for the Trolls, but St. Francis would respond with five runs on six hits to take an 8-6 lead that they would hold the rest of the way.

Toscana and Cappelletti led the way for the Trolls at the plate over the series, each hitting .400 (4-10) with a pair of doubles. Matt Ostrowski pitched five innings with a 1.80 ERA to lead the team, while Logan Strutz earned the win in the series, improving his record to 6-2.

The Trolls kick off the week with a visit to St. Ambrose on Tuesday; first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.