Columbus splits second round doubleheader with Blessed Trinity

On the verge of elimination Wednesday, The Columbus Blue Devils found a way to stay alive.

Columbus split the doubleheader of its second round matchup with Blessed Trinity. The Blue Devils struggled in the opening 8-1 loss before putting things together in Game 2, grabbing a necessary 2-1 victory to even the series.

As a result, the two teams will play the deciding game of the series Thursday, weather permitting.

The Blue Devils took control of the second game in the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 1-0 in the low-scoring showdown, the situation changed for Columbus thanks Trent Swinehart. With runners on second and third, Swinehart came through with an RBI single, tying the game 1-1. B Eysel delivered a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat, pushing Austin Foster across the plate to give Columbus a 2-1 lead.

Thanks to Clayton Duncan’s work on the mound, the pair of runs proved enough for the Blue Devils.

Pitching in the most important game of his senior season, Duncan handled the load with relative ease. He gave up only four hits in his seven innings of action. Blessed Trinity’s lone run was not credited to Duncan, as an error allowed that base runner to score safely.

The much-needed answer in Game 2 came following a dreadful first game for the road Blue Devils.

The two teams held steady through the first four innings until Blessed Trinity kicked it to overdrive in the fifth. Leading the Blue Devils 2-1, Blessed Trinity saw nine batters come to the plate in an inning in which the home squad put up five runs. Part of the problem for Columbus stemmed from its men in the field, as a one-out error in the inning came back to bite the Blue Devils.

What had the makings of a pitcher’s duel between starters Trent Grantham and Peyton Glavine — son of former Atlanta Brave Tom Glavine — was suddenly wiped away.

Columbus’ only run in the opening game came from Swinehart. With two outs and a runner on third base, Swinehart came through, knocking in Mike Ramsey to cut Blessed Trinity’s lead to 2-1.

Swinehart finished both games with a 3-for-4 mark and two RBIs.

The difference in the two games ultimately came down to pitching and defense for the Blue Devils. Columbus managed five hits in both games, but the efforts of Duncan and the defense in the second game proved enough.

Columbus and Blessed Trinity are set to square off in Game 3 at 5:00 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Columbus splits second round doubleheader with Blessed Trinity."