The Bruins came up short in both games of a doubleheader as the team fell to Trinity Baptist College 14-7 and 12-9 on Saturday afternoon at Conestee Park in Greenville, South Carolina. With the losses, the Bruins fall to 4-21 on the season.
"I am proud of the effort of our guys today," Bruins Head Coach Brent Casteel said. "We kept battling but we got what we got today. Trinity was able to keep their bats going and they took it away from us."
The Bruins came into the doubleheader on the heels of a tough loss on Friday night in which the team fell to Trinity Baptist 11-3. The Bruins were looking to avenge that loss as the two teams took the field for game one of the doubleheader. Prior to the game, the Bruins took some time to honor the five seniors on the team this season in Michael Vaugh, Daniel Abbo, Josh Crane, Andrew Vandenberghe and Rommel Acosta.
Henry Wallach would be on the mound to start the game for the Bruins, but the Eagles would come out strong as TBC was able to put up seven runs in the top of the 1st inning. The Eagles found holes in the Bruins defense and were able to bring runs around to score. The Bruins responded with a pair of runs of their own as Conley Burk drove in a run with a single and Riley Ramsey followed suit with a single in the bottom of the 1st to make it 7-2.
The Eagles were able to extend their lead in the 3rd as an error by the Bruins and a sac fly brought in two more runs to make it 9-2. The Bruins again tried to close the gape as they scored a run in the bottom of the 3rd before back to back wild pitches in the bottom of the 4th allowed the Bruins to get two more runs and cut the lead to 9-5.
From there, the Eagles came out strong in the top of the 5th as a pair of singles helped the team score three runs to extend the lead 11-5. The Bruins tried to mount one last rally with the game coming to a close as Brandon Davis had an RBI in the 5th before Adrian Lasval drove in a run with a double in the 7th but it wasn't enough as the Bruins fell to the Eagles 14-7 in game one of the doubleheader.
After a short break, the two teams were back on the field for the final game of the day. The Eagles again took an early lead as they scored two runs on two separate sac fly balls to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st.
The Bruins responded well as Riley Ramsey drove in an RBI with a sac fly before Rommel Acosta hit a three-run homerun in the bottom of the 1st to make it 4-2. The Bruin fans were out in full voice after the homerun as their team had taken the lead.
On the mound, the Bruins relied on the pitching of Ethan Rogers and he delivered early on as he shutout the Eagles in three straight innings with the Bruins leading 4-2 heading into the 5th.
The Eagles were able to battle back and tie the game as Dylan Ownes doubled to score a run while Mark Rodgers tied the game with a single to make it 4-4. The Bruins responded well in the bottom of the 5th as Riley Ramsey gave the Bruins the lead with a single before Daniel Barcena drove in another run with another single as part of a four-run 5th inning for the team to take an 8-4 lead.
The Bruins looked primed to close the game out in the final innings, but the Eagles came roaring back with eight runs in the 6th inning to take a 12-8 lead. From there, the Bruins couldn't recover as they fell in game two of the doubleheader 12-9.
"These guys don't complain and just keep working," Coach Casteel said. "It's been a tough year for us but these guys continue to show up and continue to work hard to improve. I am proud of their effort and we'll keep working hard and pushing on and looking to improve as we move forward."
Rommel Acosta led the Bruins on the day with 5 RBI's while Riley Ramsey finished with three hits and three RBI's. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Tuesday as the team plays a doubleheader against Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina.
