ANGOLA, Ind. - The Calvin University baseball team overcame an early seven-run deficit to defeat Trine University 12-11 on Friday.

Calvin (14-15, 6-6 MIAA) fell behind 8-1 after four innings, but scored 10 unanswered runs before holding on in the final innings to take down the Thunder. 

After Trine (13-18, 4-9 MIAA) jumped out to the big lead early, the Knights started their comeback with RBI-singles from Patrick Gillen (Jensen Beach, Fla./Jensen Beach) and Caden Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North) in the fifth, followed by a two-run single from Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont) in the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-5.

After Alex Owen (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns) started the game and allowed eight runs (seven earned) in three-plus innings, Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) allowed the Knights to hang around with four straight scoreless frames in relief.

The Knights' big offensive inning came later in the top of the eighth, when they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs on six hits to take an 11-8 lead. Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) tied the game at eight with an RBI-single that scored Carson Warners (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian), and Penn gave the Knights the lead with a run-scoring single that brought home Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos), who drove in the first run of the inning with a single of his own. Matt Raymond (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) and Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) drove in the final two runs of the inning to push the Calvin lead to three.

The Thunder finally got to Coil in the bottom half of the eighth, scoring two runs to cut the deficit to 11-10, but Calvin was able to push the lead back to two on a Mason double that scored Bonemer.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Thunder threatened against Calvin reliever Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta) and put the tying run on second base, but Steinbacher was able to get the last two outs of the inning on the way to his first career save.

Coil (1-2) earned the win after allowing just the two runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. Steinbacher allowed one run on three hits over the final 1.2 innings of work.

Calvin finished the day with 20 hits, with Bonemer, Penn and Brown leading the charge with three hits apiece. Penn, Gillen, Mason and Nelson each drove in two runs in the game.

COACH'S COMMENT: "We showed great resiliency to come back from down 8-1 in the fifth inning," Calvin baseball coach Kevin Van Duyn said. "Nolan Coil gave us four good innings to keep us close, and Evan Steinbacher got the save. Everyone in the line-up came ready to go today, with all of our starters getting at least one hit and we finished with 20 overall."

NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, April 22) when it hosts Trine for a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.