JOLIET, Ill. – A quick start for the opponents put Trinity in a deficit early, as the Trolls opened the CCAC Tournament on Thursday morning with a 5-1 loss to Indiana South Bend.

The Trolls (22-25) were in a hole early, surrendering a pair of runs in the 1st and 2nd innings for an early 4-0 score. At the plate, Trinity had early opportunities as well, as Nick Andersen doubled and Jordan Veldman singled in the bottom of the 1st, but were unable to get a run on the board. In the 2nd, a walk drawn by Michael Moralez and a base hit from Tommy Schaaf set the table, but the Titans (22-23) were able to work out of trouble again.

In the bottom of the 4th, Moralez, Anthony Cappelletti and Angel Toscana all reached to load the bases with no outs, but again the Trolls were held off the scoreboard.

Trinity broke through in the bottom of the 8th, after Preston Moore's one-out single. Cappelletti doubled two batters later, driving in a run and cutting the Titans' lead to 5-1.

Jake Ostrowski had a solid performance on the mound, pitching 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and one run allowed. Andersen had the Trolls' lone multi-hit performance, going 2-for-5 with a double.

With the loss, Trinity advanced to the lower bracket of the CCAC Tournament, where they will next face the loser of the first-round matchup between top-seeded St. Francis and no. 8-seed Calumet. The matchup is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 5, and will take place at Schaaf Athletic Complex.