Baseball 4/2/2022 12:00:00 AM

Trevecca Baseball | No. 7 Trojans Split at Findlay; Hit NCAA Era Tying 42nd Home Run

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

FINDLAY, Ohio – No. 7 (NCBWA) Trevecca Nazarene University baseball (24-6, 10-4 Great Midwest) split Saturday's doubleheader against the University of Findlay (13-17, 9-5 Great Midwest), winning 15-0 in game one before a heartbreaking 1-0 (seven innings) loss in game two at Marathon Diamonds.

In game one, Roland Ryan was a double short of hitting for the cycle. Ryan added home run number 13 on the season, this time a grand slam. He equals the third-most home runs in a season in the NCAA Division II era. Ryan is tied with Sam Mang, now an assistant, who hit 13 in 2018. Hunter Newman hit 18 in 2015 and Micah Blount hit 17 in 2016.

The Ryan grand slam gives this year's Trojans 42 home runs, tying them for the most team home runs in the NCAA Division II era. The 2019 team also hit 42 during their 50 game season. This year's team has hit 42 in 30 games.

Caleb Marks pitched a gem in game two, nearly throwing a no-hitter in a heart-breaking loss for the Trojans.

Sunday's doubleheader is scheduled to be live-streamed (watch).

SEASON ESSENTIALS

G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Records | 2022 G-MAC Championships

SERIES HISTORY/NOTES

The series is tied 4-4 following today split, with the Trojans getting their first win in the series at Findlay. Trevecca took the series 3-1 last year in Nashville.

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME ONE:

The Trojans took an early lead with a two-run top of the first. Roland Ryan hit a triple down the right-field line, driving in Braden Odom and Jordan Jackson. The scoreboard was silent until the seventh inning when the Trojans extended their lead with their second of three two-run innings. Roland Ryan hit a single and scored Braden Odom and Jordan Jackson for the second time in the game. Shawn Wallwork hit a double in the eighth inning, scoring Logan West and David Milam for the third two-run inning for the Trojans, extending the Trojan lead to 6-0. If the game was not already in the books, the Trojans put it out of reach with a nine-run ninth. The inning was highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Roland Ryan into left-center field, which scored Braden Odom, Jordan Jackson, and Logan West.

GAME TWO:

Game two was a shallow scoring affair with neither team able to master the opposing teams starting pitcher. Both teams tallied only two hits the entire game, with both Trojan hits coming from the bat of preseason all-region centerfielder Braden Odom. In the first inning, Odom hit a two-out single and advanced to third base with the help of back-to-back walks, but the Trojans could not capitalize on the bases-loaded situation. Odom's second hit led off the sixth and again he moved up on a walk, this time to Roland Ryan. Three straight Trojans put the ball in play, but neither Odom nor Ryan advanced and the Trojans missed another golden opportunity that would come back to haunt them.

Both starting pitchers had phenomenal games, with Caleb Marks (2-1) allowing only one run on two hits while striking out 10 batters. Marks took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Findlay's Bailey McCord (4-0) pitched all seven innings, earning the shutout allowing two hits and four walks while striking out eight batters.

In the top of the seventh, Findlay broke through following a lead-off double from Jabin Bates, the first hit of the game for the Oilers off of Caleb Marks. Marks gathered his form again getting the next two Oilers, but Marks hit the next batter and Andrew Micale singled to walk it off for the Oilers.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE- GAME ONE

Roland Ryan went 4-5 with a home run, eight RBIs, a triple, and two runs scored.
Shawn Wallwork went 3-6 with two RBIs.
Jordan Jackson went 1-4 with an RBI and one run scored.
Justin Campbell (7-1) pitched eight innings and did not allow a run on six hits while striking out five batters.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE- GAME TWO