PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — The Trinity Christian College baseball team faced Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent St. Ambrose in a four-game series Friday (March 20) and Saturday (March 21). The Fighting Bees swept the series, winning 7-6 and 5-4 on Friday, followed by 6-3 and 5-3 victories on Saturday.
TEAM RECORDS
St. Ambrose 13-10, 8-2 CCAC | Trinity Christian 11-14, 5-8 CCAC
GAME 1: St. Ambrose 7, Trinity Christian 6
Trinity Christian struck first in the bottom of the first inning when Jones connected on a two-run home run to left-center, scoring Jayden Hamilton. Jones continued his strong performance with a sacrifice fly in the second, driving in Benson Holleman to extend the lead to 3-0.
Taiki Kondo pushed the advantage to 4-0 with an RBI single that scored Mario Jiminez. Holleman added another run after reaching on a fielding error, bringing home Ty Chaney Jr. for a 5-0 lead.
The Fighting Bees stormed back with seven combined runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 7-5 lead. The Trolls responded in the ninth when Kondo drove in Brodie Mayberry with an RBI single to cut the deficit to one, but St. Ambrose recorded the final out to secure the win.
GAME 2: St. Ambrose 5, Trinity Christian 4
Hector Mendoza opened the scoring in Game 2 with an RBI double, bringing home Caden Quigg. St. Ambrose answered with three runs over the next two innings to take a 3-1 lead.
Kondo tied the game in the third with a two-run single, scoring Quigg and Jones. Three innings later, he gave the Trolls a 4-3 lead with a solo home run.
The Fighting Bees responded in the next half-inning with a two-run homer to reclaim a 5-4 advantage and held off Trinity Christian in the seventh to complete the sweep of Friday's doubleheader.
GAME 3: St. Ambrose 6, Trinity Christian 3
Trinity Christian opened the scoring when Mendoza reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Hamilton to score for a 1-0 lead. St. Ambrose answered with a two-run home run to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Trolls tied the game at 2-2 in the third when Jiminez drove in Jones with an RBI groundout. However, the Fighting Bees scored four unanswered runs — one in the fifth and three in the sixth — to build a 6-2 lead.
Trinity Christian added a run in the eighth when Logan Wiens reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Quigg. The Trolls threatened in the ninth by putting two runners on base, but St. Ambrose recorded the final outs to secure the victory.
GAME 4: St. Ambrose 5, Trinity Christian 4
St. Ambrose struck first with two runs in the second inning. Jones put Trinity Christian on the board with an RBI single, scoring Mendoza.
The Fighting Bees extended their lead to 4-1 with two runs in the fourth. Jaden Franckowiak cut the deficit to two with an RBI groundout, and Mendoza later made it a one-run game with an RBI single that scored Mayberry.
St. Ambrose added an insurance run in the seventh to push the lead to 5-3. Trinity Christian threatened in the bottom of the inning, but the Fighting Bees worked out of the jam to complete the sweep.
UP NEXT
Trinity Christian returns to action for a four-game series against Calumet St. Joseph on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28. Friday's games will be played in Whiting, while Saturday's contests will take place in Palos Heights.
