A dominant pitching performace led to a win the first game, but a pair of rallies by the oppostiion meant TCJ Eagles Baseball split their two Friday games at the NCCAA Division 2 Invitational Tournament in Arlington, Texas. Brodie Nichols pitched a complete game in winning Game 1 over Randall University, but Arlington Baptist University won the second game 10-4. The Eagles will not play on Saturday.

Game 1: Eagles 11, Randall University 0

Nichols faced only 2 batters over the minimum in pitching his second 1-hit shutout of the season. Nichols allowed only a harmless single with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Nichols then induced a fly ball to end the inning. The only other base runner reached on a strikeout-passed ball, also in the fourth.

Overall, Nichols pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 hit and 0 walks while striking out 7. He threw 6 perfect innings, and only 6 balls reached the outfield.

[Brodie Nichols pitched his second 1-hit shutout of the season on Friday.]

Offensively, the Eagles provided more than enough run support, beginning in the top of the 2nd. Richaun Amaro's RBI single (the official game winner) drove in Gadriel Burgos (walk). In the third, Bugos drove in Logan McGann (walk) and Cooper Scruggs (walk) to make the score 3-0. 

As Nichols was cruising, the offense continued to pile on. Burgos notched his third RBI with a fifth-inning base hit, and the Eagles added two more in the sixth (Williams ground ball error, Scruggs RBI single). The big inning was the seventh, a 5-run frame that featured Amaro's RBI single, Jacob Burke's two-run single, McGann's RBI ground ball, and Scruggs's errant ground ball to extend the lead to 11-0.

The Eagles totaled 12 hits with 2 each coming from Burgos, Tyson LaChapelle, Amaro, and Burke. Burgos drove in three runs while Amaro and Burke each notched 2 RBI to help lead the Eagles.

Game 2: Arlington Baptist University 10, Eagles 4

Trinity took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Burgos doubled home Scruggs (walk) with two outs. They extended that lead to 3-0 in the third on a pair of wild throws. McGann (leadoff single) scored on the first throw, and Williams (reached on error) came in on the second. Two subsequent well-hit fly balls, though, were both caught to end the inning. 

ABU rallied for 3 in the bottom of the third and 7 in the fourth, totaling 6 hits in the process. Trinity scored the final run in the sixth on Burke's sacrifice fly (Harrelson, walk). They loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh but did not pull any closer. 

Burgos was 2 for 3 with 1 RBI to lead the offense. The Eagles totaled 5 hits in the game. 

Next Up:

The Eagles will visit NAIA Thomas University for a 4:00 p.m. double-header on Tuesday, Februay 24. South Region action will follow at Bob Jones University in a Friday single game at 6:00 p.m. and a Saturday twin bill beginning at 12:00 noon. The next six games are all at the annual Russ-Matt Invitational in the Orlando area against NAIA teams from around the country. Trinity's games are on the Friday and Saturday of March 6 and 7 and Thursday and Friday of March 12 and 13.