BASEBALL: Trinity drops second-straight at CCA Thursday

The Trinity Crusaders traveled to Douglas Thursday afternoon for a road tilt with Citizens Christian. Things did not go well from the outset, as the Crusaders were crushed 14-4.

After Trinity went scoreless in the top of the first, the Patriots went right to work in the home half. Patriot junior and Clemson commit Blake Bryant blasted a two-run homer just three at-bats into the game to give the home team a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Johnathan Rutland hit another two-run shot and the score was 4-0.

That score held until the fourth. Grey McLean singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Thomas Gentry to make it 5-0. 

Bryant would follow him up with a single that chased Crusader starter Ben Helton from the contest. The first batter following the pitching change reached on an error that scored two more to make it 7-0.

Trinity looked to get back in the game in the sixth, and would load the bases on a walk, sandwiched between a pair of hit batters, to bring up Cruz Giles. The senior would deliver a two-run single to put the Crusaders on the board at 7-2. A few batters later, Asher Evans drove home two more with a hit to make it 7-4.

Trinity used four different hurlers in the bottom of the sixth and could only get one out. Bryant doubled to lead off the inning and the next batter walked. Following a strikeout, Rutland would drive home a pair to make it 9-4.

The next four batters all walked, and two more runs scored to make it 11-4.  When Trinity finally threw strikes again, Gentry delivered a two-run single to make it 13-4. A bloop single to right by Skyler Woods would bring home the final run and end the game due to run rule.

Evans had two hits to lead the offense. Giles, Nathan Sumner and Braden Underwood also hit safely.

Ben Helton, Dasher, Jakob Sahli, Evans and Andrew Helton collectively struggled on the hill for the Crusaders, with the last three failing to record a single out. 

They surrendered 12 hits and 12 earned runs, while walking a season-high 10.

Trinity will get a rematch of its first in the back-to-back losses on Tuesday at CGAA in Macon. The Crusaders will start out their last homestand of the season on Thursday against Edmund Burke.