Twice on Saturday, TBC Eagles Baseball had the lead, lost the lead, and then won in the final inning against separate NAIA opponents at the Russ-Matt Invitational. Once as the visitor and once as the home team, the Eagles rallied after falling behind to defeat Bethel University of Indiana 8-7 in 10 innings and Valley State University 6-5. 

Game 1: Eagles 8, Bethel (IN) 7

Ryan Onkst hit a ground ball to second that allowed Jacob Burke to score the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth. Burke reached on an error with one out and advanced first to third on Logan McGann's single that followed. Onskt placed his grounder so that the only play was to first to avoid the double play, and the Eagles led 8-7. Onkst was 4 for 6 in the game.

Reliever Drew Billings then pitched a scoreless bottom of the tenth to close it out. After the leadoff man reached, Billings induced two ground balls and a flyout and ended up the winning pitcher.

The key was when Billings entered the game. Bethel's Drew Deming led off the eighth with a triple. Billings entered and struck out the first two men he faced before inducing a fly ball and strand Deming at third and keep the game tied 6-6.

Each team scored in the ninth to make it 7-7 before TBC got that final run in the tenth.

Billings worked 3 innings, allowing 1 unearned run, 0 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. His day was not over, however.

Each team had a big inning. Trinity scored 4 runs in the third, highlighted by Gavin Williams's two-run single. Bethel took the lead with a 5-run sixth that featured a pair of two-run hits. Bethel led 6-4 at that point, but Andrew Mohler, Darren Goeke, Jr., and Billings held them in check the rest of the way. TBC got 2 in the eighth on RBI from Logan McGann (ground ball) and Onkst (single) to forge a 6-6 tie.

Game 2: Eagles 6, Valley City State 5

A three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth gave the Eagles their second win of the day and third of the Russ-Matt Invitational in as many games. Seth Reeves drew a bases-loaded walk to end it after the Eagles put three on with two outs and a run in. With one out, Jacob Brigman and Burke both singled. A wild pitch put both in scoring position, and Brigman scored on a passed ball. With two outs, pinch hitter Trey Rosado was hit by a pitch to load them up for Reeves.

Billings earned his second win of the day with another gritty performance out of the pen. He entered with one out in the ninth and the score tied 3-3. Despite two runs crossing to give VCSU a 5-3 lead, Billings buckled down and ended the rally.

Onskt tied the game in the seventh with a two-run single, and his ground ball in the third also led to game-tying run after VSCU took a 1-0 lead in the second. Onkst was 2 for 4 and finished the day 6 for 10. His totals for the three games on Friday and Saturday were 7 for 13, 1 double, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 5 RBI.

Blake Bandy pitched 5.2 innings of solid baseball; Goeke and Nate Nogueras combined for 2.2 innings of relief before Billings took over. 

Next Up

The Eagles will return to the Russ-Matt Invitational on March 7 and 8 to face two more formidable NAIA opponents. On Friday, TBC will play as the visitor against Dordt University (Iowa) then trade home and away assignments with Northwestern University of Iowa in a Saturday double-header.  The next home games are on March 18 when TBC hosts Florida Memorial University and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the Bold City Classic.