photo credit Kevin Lanke

Terre Haute, IN – A whirlwind season for the Transylvania baseball team ended on a whirlwind Friday in Day Two of the 2016 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament at Art Nehf Field.

Entering the afternoon fighting through the loser's bracket, the No. 2 seed Pioneers won their first elimination game on Friday against Manchester, 7 to 3, before being falling to the No. 3 seed Earlham Quakers, 12-2 in the nightcap.

The first game of the day was an efficient and inspiring bid by the Pioneers to keep their tournament hopes alive as they faced the Manchester Spartans.

Transylvania opened up the first game of their Friday with three runs in the first two innings against Manchester. Jared Williams came up with a double to drive in Daniel Seitzinger for a run in the first, and a two-run single by Rex Rogers in the second drove in Hunter Jones and Taylor Henley to put Transy ahead by three runs.

But as they did the day before against Earlham, the Pioneers relinquished their lead in the fifth inning to the Spartans; the black and gold produced two runs in the top of the fourth, and the tying run by Manchester's Chad Schultz came home from third on a wild pitch to tie the game at three.

But the tying run was the last mistake Transylvania would allow Manchester to take advantage of as the Pioneers scored the final four runs of the game.

Senior Trey Simpson gave the Pioneers the lift they needed with what would be the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth, sending a deep shot off the left field scoreboard for a two-run home run and a 5-3 Transylvania lead.

From that point forward, starting pitcher Adam Boone and closer Kameron Schwartz teamed up to hold Manchester scoreless for the last four innings of the contest.

Boone picked up his fourth win of the year in a quick-moving game that ended in two hours and three minutes, despite the two teams combining for 24 hits.

Schwartz collected his third save of the year for the Pioneers, allowing just one baserunner in two innings.

Ross led a potent 3-for-5 day in the first game, scoring an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning for the Pioneers' final run of the day.

Blake Hart went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the bottom of the seventh, providing one of two insurance runs for the Pioneers following Simpson's go-ahead homer. Daniel Seitzinger also enjoyed a multi-hit day against Earlham with two base hits.

The Pioneers rested for nearly an hour and a half before their 7:00 p.m. start against Earlham, who had defeated Transylvania just 22 hours prior in a 12-6 win. In their first meeting of the tournament, the Pioneers went ahead by four twice in the opening innings before Earlham responded with a consistent and charged scoring effort for the rest of the contest.

But in the third game of the tournament for both teams, this time an elimination situation, Earlham put their foot on the gas from the beginning.

Transylvania's hero of the emerging tournament, Trey Simpson took the mound for the Pioneers' third tournament game and did his part to keep the game scoreless through the first two innings.

But in the top of the third, Earlham went ahead on a combination of an error by Rex Rogers and a double and a single to take a 3-0 lead. The Quakers continued to hold Transylvania at bay and added another run in the top of the sixth to go ahead 4-0.

The bottom of the sixth inning provided an opportunity for the Pioneers to cut into their deficit, as Simpson and Jones delivered base hits with two outs. But a foul out ended the inning and the Pioneers remained scoreless.

Earlham went for the finishing blow in the top of the seventh inning, launching two home runs for a five-run inning and an 8-0 advantage. It was the second straight game against Transylvania in the HCAC Tournament in which Earlham scored five runs in the seventh frame.

The Pioneers procured a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, courtesy of two stolen bases by Simpson, the conference leader in that category. Hovering at third, a single by Jones brought home his fellow senior for one of two late runs in the game.   

Kody Ross catalyzed the other run for the Pioneers which came in the ninth inning. The second baseman made contact to right field for the final hit of his career, a double on which he made his way to third with the assist of a throwing error by Earlham. A Gage Beavers RBI groundout brought Ross home for the final 12-2 reading.    

Simpson finished his final season as the league leader in batting average thanks to a 2-for-4 night against Earlham. Jones also followed with a 2-for-4 game at the plate. Simpson took just his second loss of the season as he went six innings on the mound, registering five strikeouts against two walks.

Earlham, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, now moves ahead to an elimination game against No. 1 seed Rose-Hulman. The Quakers will have to beat the Fightin' Engineers twice on Saturday to seal the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With the loss to Earlham, the Pioneers' 2016 season comes to an end at 22-19 overall.

The 2016 season will go down as a memorable one for Transylvania, who recorded their best conference record since 2008, when the Pioneers last made the tournament. The Pioneers finish at 17-9 in conference play, good for second place.

The day also marked the final set of games for seniors Matt Birkenhauer, Kameron Schwartz, Kody Ross, Hunter Jones, Aaron Johnson, and Trey Simpson. They end their careers with the distinction of taking Transylvania back to the HCAC Tournament for the first time in eight seasons.   

Follow the Transylvania baseball team on their official twitter @TransyBaseball