Series Win Secures Top Spot in SCAC West

JACKSON - With six innings of baseball being played before the regularly scheduled single game at noon, lefty hurler Evan Bronson limited Millsaps to only two runs to help lead Trinity to a 10-2 victory before the Majors rebounded for an 18-5 statement win in the series finale.

Bobby Zabor, Nick Vera and Evan Jones finished with three hits apiece for Trinity as the trio combined for nine of the Tigers' 10 runs. Vera also added his seventh homer of the season and third of the weekend to send Millsaps to its worst home loss since a 13-4 defeat on April 10, 2005, to conference foe Southwestern University.

Bronson (3-2) was credited with the win for the Tigers, scattering eight Millsaps hits, seven strikeouts, three walks and two runs in a complete game performance.

Junior right-hander Jay Hollenbeck (5-1, 4.34 ERA) was hit with his first loss of the season and first of his Millsaps career (12-1), surrendering eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings of work -- the shortest outing of the year in seven starts.

The tables turned for the Majors in the series finale, taking advantage of nine walks surrendered by Trinity to send the Tigers to their worst loss since a 17-4 defeat to Southwestern in the SCAC Tournament on April 30, 2000, dropping the visitors 18-5 (7).

Senior infielder Justin Carter and junior outfielder Hunter Owen paced the Millsaps offense, with Carter going 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored and Owen going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, a run scored and his conference-leading 10th homerun of the season.

Designated hitter Derrik Boland also parked his second homerun of the weekend and season, running his career total to six with a solo shot to straight-away center in the bottom of the second frame.

Sophomore catcher Russ Boyd and seniors Nick Crawford, Jason Hadley, John Pacillo and Luke Morrow were responsible for driving in the remaining eight runs, with Morrow recording three RBIs on a base-clearing double to right center in the fifth.

Not to go unmentioned was the play of Pacillo in centerfield, as the Baton Rouge, La., native recorded five putouts on the afternoon, including three consecutive in the sixth.

Brandon Ingram (5-1, 3.40 ERA) won his fifth consecutive decision on the mound against only four starts, settling down after surrendering five runs through the first three innings to record his longest outing of the season in seven innings of work.

The series win for Millsaps is its second consecutive as they improve to 23-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play, good enough for first place in the SCAC West Standings. Trinity drops to second in the standings, falling to 14-13 overall and 5-3 in the SCAC.

Millsaps will play a stretch of four non-conference games before traveling to Conway, Ark., April 13-15 to take on SCAC-foe Hendrix College. The Majors conclude the 2007 regular season with a home contest against Belhaven College.

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