March 30, 2007

JACKSON -- Freshman right-hander Bobby Osburn picked up the first win of his Millsaps career and the Majors crossed the plate six times in the eighth inning to hold on for a 12-6 series-opening, conference win on a beautiful Friday evening at Twenty Field.

Trinity (13-11, 4-1 SCAC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, taking advantage of leadoff walk by Millsaps starter Travis Bogue in the first inning to score Bobby Zabor three batters later on an attempted pickoff move to first base.

Millsaps (21-7, 6-3 SCAC) responded quickly with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first frame on a two-run shot to leftfield by Hunter Owen, his conference-leading seventh homerun of the season.

The Majors held onto a tight 6-4 lead midway through the game, before the Tigers knotted the game with a single run in the fifth and one in the eighth on a pair of solo homeruns --both from senior outfielder Nick Vera.

Just when it looked as if the game was destined for extra innings, the Millsaps bats responded with six runs off four hits and an error with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach at 12-6.

Senior second baseman Nick Crawford was credited with the game-winning RBI, grinding out an infield single to the shortstop to score John Pacillo from third.

In his eighth appearance of the season -- the most by any Millsaps freshman pitcher -- Osburn pitched a gem of a game on the mound for the Majors, tossing five innings of middle relief while scattering a season-high five strikeouts, two hits and only two runs.

Osburn (1-0, 1.69 ERA) was credited with the win while Ryan Poffenroth (4-4, 4.04) was hit with the loss after surrendering six runs (one earned) off five hits in five innings of work.

Zack Fregosi, Andrew Lawson and Vera combined for the four Trinity hits and five of the six runs, as the Tigers dropped their first decision in SCAC play this season.

Russ Boyd, Justin Carter, Pacillo and Owen each recorded multi-hit games while Jason Hadley and Hunter Abrams earned the remaining two Millsaps hits.

With weather permitting, the Majors and Tigers will continue their 4-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.