NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University baseball team (3-1) split their first two games with Maryville University (1-1), a key Midwest Region series, with a 4-3 win in the three-game series opener on Thursday night. The Saints battled back to even the series with an 8-6 win on Friday. The two teams play the rubber game of the series at Jackson Field on Saturday beginning at Noon.
Maryville is the third consecutive and one of eight non-conference opponent the Trojans will face who are ranked or receiving region votes.
The Saints are seventh in the Midwest Region, while Trevecca is ninth.
Emanual (7-3 overall) and Belmont Abbey (4-3 overall), the Trojans first two opponents, are both receiving votes in the Southeast Region with Belmont Abbey earning a #6 ranking in the preseason poll.
Five future non-conference opponents are ranked or receiving votes in their respective region poll - Lewis University (RV Midwest / 1-0 overall), University of Illinois Springfield (#5 Midwest Region / 3-1 overall), University of Alabama Huntsville (#6 South Region / 7-3 overall), Lincoln Memorial University (#10 Southeast Region / 6-2 overall), Lee University (#9 South Region / 6-3 overall).
Two other non-conference teams, Delta State University (4-4) and Carson-Newman University (5-3), are traditionally strong baseball programs as well.
SERIES HISTORY/NOTES
Trevecca and Maryville have played 10 times since 2014, with each winning five. Trevecca has won three of the last four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GM 1 (Thursday)
Abbott Lawrence hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, scoring
David Milam and giving Trevecca starter
Caleb Marks a 2-0 lead. Maryville plated a run in the third on a SAC bunt and tied the game at 2-2 with a another run on a SAC in the seventh. the Trojans responded with two runs in the seventh.
Cole McCallum drove in a run with a single, scoring
Haven Mangrum. Later, Joey Parliament scored on a wild pitch. Maryville pushed the Trojans in the ninth with a run, but
Jack Keele earned the win shutting down the Saints.
GM 2 (Friday)
Maryville took an early 3-0 lead with a three-run second inning. The Trojans plated five runs of their own in the fourth, taking a 5-3 lead. McCallum and Carreras both doubled with McCallum scoring two and Carreras one. In the sixth, the Saints scored two to even the game at 5-5. When Carreras hit is solo home run in the sixth, the Trojans regained the lead at 6-5. Two homers, a solo bomb in the seventh and a two-run shot in the ninth, tied the game then put the Saints up two.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
GM 1 (Thursday)
Jack Keele (2-0) picked up the win in relief – going four innings allowing two runs with five strikeouts.
Caleb Marks got the start and went five innings without allowing an earned run with seven strikeouts against just one walk and three hits.
Josh Griffin had two hits and
Abbott Lawrence hit his first career home run and drove in two runs, scoring one. Lawrence also drew a pair of walks.
GM 2 (Friday)
The Trojans had plenty of offense,
Josh Griffin,
Haven Mangrum,
Cole McCallum, and
Frankie Carreras all collected two hits. McCallum and Carreras had a double each, Carreras hit his first home run of the year as well. Carreras drove in two runs and scored a pair as well.
Haven Mangrum scored a run and had a stolen base. Parliament, who also scored a run, had a stolen base as well.
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UP NEXT
After Saturday's series rubber game with the Saints, Trevecca hosts another region foe, Lewis University, for a three-game series next weekend (Feb. 23-24) at Jackson Field. The University of Illinois Springfield is next, March 1-2, hosting the Trojans for a three-game series.
