This past weekend on April 15, the Southwestern baseball team won their conference series against Trinity in Georgetown at the Rockwell field. 

Friday night’s game rattled pirate fans as the team dropped the game to Trinity with a 5-2 loss. However, the baseball team was set to play two back-to-back games the following day. The series may have started out with a loss, but the team was not going to let it end there. 

On Saturday April 15, the baseball team beat Trinity 5-4 through an impressive comeback in the bottom of the tenth. The teams were tied 2-2 at the bottom of the ninth and went into extra innings. Trinity scored two runs during the top of the tenth leaving the Pirates to trail 4-2. The air felt electric with pressure as Jacob Tanner approached home plate. As the team crowded the dugout to support their offensive players, Head Coach Bunch reminded them, “We can still come back. It’s been done before.”

Bunch’s words proved to be true. Although Tanner flew out to centerfield resulting in an out at the beginning of the inning, Maxwell Mims caused the boys in the dugout and fans in the stands to holler and jump with excitement as he tripled to right center and second batter #9 Josh Endo was able to score. 

“My heart was pumping a thousand miles a minute,” Mims, #52, said during the tailgate in between games. “I was frustrated at the beginning, but we just kept our heads down and never gave up. I’m just happy I was able to do something for the team.”

With thirty minutes left before the final game in the series, the team quickly crowded around tailgate tables to eat, celebrate the victory, and plan how they’d build and advance for the next game. “I am going to build on my momentum,” Endo said.  I finished up the game really hot; I want to keep rolling into this.”

The team kept their fire rolling into the bottom of the first, scoring two runs. Although Endo grounded out to the third baseman, his passionate spirit was evident in his hard, focused swings. Mims was a star player in the Trinity series and continued his skillful plays by singling to centerfield, stealing second base, and then scoring when James Vaquero, #3, singled to right field. 

The Pirates shut out the Trinity Tigers until the top of the eighth when Trinity’s Ezra Gore scored the team’s first and final run. J.J slack, pitcher #99, was a key part of this shutout, pitching all nine innings and only allowing one run. The game didn’t go past the top ninth; the Pirate baseball team sealed their victory in the series. 

“We won a series against the second place team in our conference, extending our lead” Bunch said, after the game. “And we did it by playing the game the right way and not getting involved with their antics.” After this weekend’s victory, SU baseball has a 10-2 conference record.