JOLIET, Ill. – Trinity Baseball had the CCAC's regular season champs on upset alert Thursday afternoon, but a 9th-inning rally would drop the Trolls in the first round of the CCAC Tournament, 8-6 to top-seeded St. Francis.

St. Francis 8, Trinity 6
WP: Blazekovic (3-0) • LP: Munoz (3-6)
HR: McGuire (USF), 5 • Vickers (USF), 4 • Huttner (TCC), 4 • Klepzcz (USF), 2

• After escaping a jam with two on and one out in the bottom of the 2nd, the Trolls struck first in the 3rd inning. A leadoff single from Brian Huttner followed by a double from Brodie Mayberry set the table for Preston Moore's two-out, two-run single to give Trinity an early 2-0 lead.

 • St. Francis responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run, then added two more runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead through three innings.

• Another solo home run to lead off the 4th inning extended the Saints lead to 4-2.

• The Trolls reclaimed the lead in the top of the 8th, as Benson Holleman's double and Carter Chaney reaching base after getting hit by a pitch put two on for Huttner. The junior put Trinity in front with a home run to left, giving Trinity a 5-4 lead.

• In the top of the 9th, Omar Wright led off the inning with a single, then advanced to third on a sac bunt and a fly out before scoring on a wild pitch to give the Trolls a two-run advantage.

• After a leadoff ground out, the Saints rallied with a double, walk and single to load the bases. The next batter would end the game with a home run to right, to advance the Saints to the second round of the CCAC tournament.

Next Up

• The Trolls will look to bounce back on Friday afternoon, as they face the loser of the Roosevelt/St. Ambrose matchup in the first lower bracket game. First pitch from Duly Health and Care Field is set for 1:00 p.m.