OAKLAND CITY, Ind. – The Trinity Christian College baseball team opened its series against Oakland City Universityon Friday (Feb. 20), with the Mighty Oaks coming out on top, 9–7.

Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings. The Mighty Oaks struck first in the bottom of the third to take an early 1–0 lead.

Trinity responded with five runs in the fifth inning to move ahead 5–1. Mario Jiminez led off the scoring with a solo home run, tying the game at 1–1. Jayden Hamilton then brought home Brodie Mayberry with an RBI single to give Trinity the lead. Taiki Kondo followed with a two-run double to left-center, scoring Mayberry and Benson Holleman for a 4–1 advantage. Hector Mendoza extended the lead to 5–1 with an RBI single that scored Kondo.

Jiminez added his second solo shot of the game — a home run to left — pushing the Trolls' lead to 6–1.

The Mighty Oaks rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, plating eight runs to take a 9–6 lead. Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh inning.

Trinity added one run in the eighth when Jaden Franckowiak drove in Mendoza with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 9–7. However, Oakland City closed the door in the ninth to secure the win.

Up Next
The teams will meet again for a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 21, beginning at noon CT. The first game will be nine innings, followed by a seven-inning contest.