LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic — In its third game of the 2025 Dominican Republic trip, Kingsmen Baseball emerged victorious on the road against Buena Vista, 8-0.
The Kingsmen took a little while to get going in the contest, scoring their first two runs in the fourth inning. The defense held its nerve, shutting out its opponents, and the offense found a couple big innings late to pull away.
The pitching was at an elite level on Monday. Starter Tripp Bollibon and relief arm Jadden Rodriguez both threw three shutout innings, including an inning each where they struck out the side. In total, the Kingsmen struck out 12 of the 21 hitters they retired.
For Bollibon, the strong performance on the mound was only some of the importance of that day.
“I found out midgame that I was giving my testimony,” Bollibon said. “Getting this news and knowing the true mission of our trip, helped to relieve me of the stress I would usually hold prior to a regular game.”
As is tradition after games down in the Dominican, a Kingsmen player or coach gives his testimony of how he came to know Christ, and the team hands out Spanish Bibles to those on the other team.
“Giving my testimony went well,” Tripp continued. “It was something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time, given that I’ve gone through some mental struggles. Especially being here in the DR, where the main goal for these kids is to play in the Big Leagues, it was something they could gain something from.”
The Kingsmen are back in action Thursday in their final game of the DR trip and in the 2025 season.
