NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 8) – A two-out RBI single by senior
Rahul Badve (Mississauga, Ontario/Woodlands Secondary) helped the Tigers earn a 6-5 game two win over league-leading Trevecca Nazarene Friday afternoon. Trevecca won game one 10-0 to split the doubleheader.
The Salem International University baseball team improves to 1-9 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), 5-24 overall. Meanwhile, the Trojans, the league-leader in the conference standings and the preseason favorite, drop their first G-MAC game of the season to fall to 9-1, 18-14 overall this season.
The Tigers stormed out to a 5-0 lead with runs in each of the first three innings. Junior left fielder
Matthew Flores (King City, Calif./King City) got the inning started with a two-out double and scored on a single by junior third baseman
Donato Gallano (Ewa Beach, Hawaii/James Campbell). Freshman shortstop
Cody Crawford (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian) followed with a RBI triple to put Salem International up 2-0 after one inning.
Freshman right fielder
Logan Steinle (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) tacked onto the lead with a RBI single in the second inning, while RBI base hits by Gallano and junior
Adam Reece (Stratford, Ontario/Stratford Northwestern) extended the Tiger lead to 5-0 after three complete.
Trevecca finally got to Salem International starting pitcher
Zack Skipper (Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran) in the fourth inning to move within four, 5-1, and evened the score in the fifth with a four-run frame.
The Tigers took advantage of an error in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead. Reece drew a two-out walk and senior first baseman
Anthony Bariso (Tarpon Springs, Fla./Tarpon Springs) reached on an error by the Trojan second baseman. The next batter, Badve, drove a single to left field to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead.
Senior pitcher
Aaron Alderman (Lakeland, Fla./Lake Gibson), who relieved Skipper in the fifth inning, retired all eight Trevecca batters he faced to help the Tigers take the game. He finished with four strikeouts and no walks while tossing a perfect 2.2 innings of relief for his first win on the mound this season.
Gallano led the team at the dish with two hits and two RBI, while Flores added two hits, including a triple.
Salem International finished with 11 hits, the second-highest single-game total this season, and had its first errorless game in the field since February 27 at Lenoir-Rhyne.
The Tigers were handed a 10-0 loss in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Salem International only trailed 5-0 through seven innings, before the Trojans tacked on five cosmetic runs in the final two frames.
Gallano and Steinle each finished with two hits in the loss, while sophomore pitcher
Kevin Ortiz (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) was tagged with the loss on the mound. He yielded five runs (two earned) on four hits and matched a career-high with six strikeouts.
Despite playing the games at Trevecca's Jackson Field, Salem International was the designated home team on the scoreboard due to a scheduling conflict at Frank Loria Memorial Field.
The Tigers were 0-10 all-time against Trevecca entering the second game of the doubleheader.
Salem International will complete its series with the Trojans tomorrow, Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m. (EST). The Tigers will once again be the home team in both games.
