Auburndale, Mass. – March 16, 2025 – The Springfield College baseball team surrendered eight runs in the top of the seventh and fell to Trinity College (Conn.), 14-8, in its first game at the 2025 RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida.

Trinity improved to 2-5, while Springfield fell to 2-4. The Pride will take on Hamilton College (NY) on Sunday in a doubleheader (two seven inning games) beginning at noon at the Lake Myrtle Complex.

Michael Lepere (Beacon, N.Y.) guided Springfield's offense going 2-for-3 with three RBI, three runs and a home run, while Nicholas Lloyd (Easthampton, Mass.) went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run. Nate Kelleher-Mochak (Florence, Mass.) got the start and went the first five frames allowing just two earned runs and five hits to go along with three punchouts, but was given a no decision.

Lepere got Springfield on the board in the bottom of the first after launching his first round tripper of the season. Springfield then put a four spot up in the bottom of the third on a Lepere RBI knock, a bases loaded walk by Lloyd, an RBI single by Andrew Sweet (Charlton, Mass.) and an RBI from Chris Balchius (Norwalk, Conn.).

Springfield held a 5-3 advantage going to the top of the seventh, but the bullpen could not slow down the Trinity bats as the Bantams scored eight times in the seventh and three more times in the top of the eighth. Trinity's offensive run was highlighted by a trio of two-run doubles by Tyler Bernstein, William Sawyer and Aidan Stern in the seventh before Cole Mascolo launched a three run shot in the eighth.

Springfield put together two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the rally and the game ended when Balchius struck out with the score in favor of the Bantams, 14-8.

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