ANGOLA, Ind. - The fourth ranked Trine University softball team became the first MIAA squad since 1999 to go undefeated in conference play as they swept Albion College during a rain and mud filled afternoon 22-0 and 26-0. The Thunder enter the MIAA tournament play with a 33-3 overall record and finish the conference regular season with a 16-0 record.
Trine sprinted out of the gate as they plated 10 runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Amy Newell (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) had a two-run single and senior Andi Gasco (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) followed with an RBI double. Fellow senior Lauren Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) tripled and then scored on a single by another senior in Sarah Belote (Bronson, Mich./Bronson). Sophomore Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) would knock her 12th homer of the year, a two-run shot. Freshman Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) knocked in two on a triple, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Newell.
In the second, after a leadoff walk to Lauren Harris, sophomore Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) hit her first home run of the year to left center. After Belote was hit, Rachel Harris knocked her second homer of the game to left center. The homer by Harris gave her the MIAA single-season record with 9 homers in conference play.
Newell would add a bases loaded single to score two and Gasco doubled down the left field line to plate two more. Belote singled home a run and Daniels would finish off the inning with an RBI single.
Trine would add a run in the third as Rachel Harris was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Gasco pitched three innings to earn her 17th win of the year as she allowed one hit, walked one and struck out six. Senior Ashton Morgan (Berne, Ind./South Adams) came on to pitch the final two innings and allowed two hits while striking out three.
Game two saw the Thunder go down without a run in the first, but rebounded quickly plating 10 runs in the second.
Belote had a two-run double and Daniels knocked her in on another double. Daniels would score on a single by sophomore Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) and an Albion error. Searles would then score on a sacrifice fly by Clark.
Newell followed by launching a 2-0 pitch over the center field wall, to break the MIAA single-season RBI record. Gasco would then reach on an error and it would be Lauren Harris delivering with her seventh homer of the year. After Hall reached on an error, Belote skied a homer to center that just cleared the fence.
In the third, Searles tripled home Daniels and then scored on another sacrifice fly by Clark. Newell would then deliver her second home run of the game, just sneaking it inside the right field foul pole.
Trine would add 11 more runs in the fourth. Belote would knock a two-run homer to give her 9 for the MIAA season, tying the record set by Rachel Harris in game one. The Thunder would load the bases, and Newell would deliver on her third straight home run, putting a dent in the scoreboard. The homer would also give Newell sole possession of the MIAA single-season RBI record with 37, which Belote had also broken with her home run.
The Thunder would add runs in the inning on a single by Rachel Harris, two more on a double by Daniels and another on a triple by Searles.
The highest scoring offense in the nation tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Leah Hall, her second of the day.
Freshman Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood) made her first career start in MIAA play as she went the distance to get her fourth win of the season, allowing just one hit while walking two and striking out five.
The Thunder tied a school record which they set earlier in the year with seven home runs in game two, which is third all-time in NCAA Division III history. The three home runs in-a-row by Newell trails the four by Belote earlier in the year, but still ranks fourth in DIII history. Also, the three home runs hit by the Thunder in the second inning of game two is tied for second in the NCAA record books. The Thunder tallied 52 total bases in game two, although they already broke the NCAA record earlier in the season, the mark still ranks fourth all-time in DIII history.
The team also set several MIAA single-season record during the day. Trine broke the record for hits, doubles and finished the year with a .443 team average to set a new conference record. Trine finishes the year breaking every offensive single-season MIAA record (average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and total bases).
Belote finished the day going 5-for-5 and now had seven consecutive hits while adding eight RBIs and seven runs scored. Daniels finished 6-for-7 at the plate with three doubles while scoring six times and driving in four. Searles was 4-for-5 with six runs while Rachel Harris went 4-for-6 with six RBIs and four runs. Searles would also set an MIAA record with her 31st hit during game two.
Newell collected five hits on the day while driving in 11 and scoring five times. Lauren Harris also collected five hits at the plate and scored six times. Hall had three hits on the day, drove in five runs and came around to score six runs. Clark and Gasco added a pair of hits on the day as Clark drove in five and score four runs while Gasco drove in three and added three runs. Gasco’s three runs gave her the Trine career record with 138.
Trine will host the MIAA Tournament beginning on May 2. Alma will face Adrian in the opener at 11:00 a.m. with Trine playing Hope at 1:00 p.m.
