LOSING STREAK ENDS

It was a tale of two games for Trinity in week five against St. Faustina — a rough opener followed by exactly the kind of win this team needed.

Game 1: Trinity 8, St. Faustina 18

Game one was over before Trinity could really get going. St. Faustina came out and built a comfortable lead early, and once that deficit gets big enough in a slow pitch league it becomes almost impossible to claw back from. Trinity never found their footing, and the game was called via mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth. The offense had some moments — Dave Martino led the way going 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, and Evan Shearer and Cadin Helfrich each went 2-for-3. Corbin Fallen also chipped in with 2 hits and 2 RBIs. But with St. Faustina jumping on them early and the defense not being able to slow things down, there was just too much ground to make up. Trent Beachem took the ball on the mound and threw all 6 innings, keeping the team in it as long as he could. It wasn't pretty, but the team had a chance to respond in game two — and they did.

Game 2: Trinity 16, St. Faustina 14

If you were looking for a sign that this team still has fight in them, game two was it. After dropping six games in a row and getting mercy ruled in the first game of the same night, Trinity came back out and took game two 16-14 in what was a back and forth battle from start to finish. Neither team was able to pull away for good, and Trinity just kept hanging around until they had enough to get the win. It's the kind of game you have to grind out, and this team did exactly that. The offense was clicking on all cylinders. As a team Trinity hit .622 in game two — one of their best hitting performances of the season — and put up 23 hits. Rafe O'Donnell was the standout of the night, going a perfect 4-for-4 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored. That's as locked in as it gets. Dave Martino continued his season-long consistency, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Corbin Fallen matched him with 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and a run scored, and Colton Thomas added 3 hits and 2 RBIs as well. But the play of the game belonged to Jim Beatty. With Trinity needing every base they could get, Beatty ripped a triple and slid into third, beating the tag to be called safe. It was one of those moments that swings the energy of a game, and in a back and forth contest like this one every bit of momentum matters. He finished with 2 RBIs on the night. Trent Beachem came back out for game two after throwing six innings in game one and pitched all seven innings, picking up the win. That's 13 innings of work in one night — an absolute workhorse effort that doesn't go unnoticed.

The Takeaway

Trinity is now 3-7 on the season. It hasn't been an easy stretch, but a win is a win — and snapping a six-game losing streak the way they did, coming back after a mercy rule loss in the same night, says something about this group. The talent has always been there. Now they just need to carry this momentum into week six and start stacking some wins together.