MINNEOLA, FLA.-- The 10th-ranked Trine softball team picked up wins over Misericordia and Neumann on day two of the Dot Richardson Spring Games.
The Thunder started the day off with a 6-1 victory over Misericordia and followed that up with a 9-3 victory over Neumann. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) became Trine's all-time leader in steals after stealing a pair of bases in the victory over Neumann. Searles finished the day with three hits, four runs scored and an RBI to go along with the two steals. Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) homered and drove in five runs on the day. Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) added a homer of her own and picked up three RBI's. Trine improves to 3-1 on the season with the pair of victories.
Game One: Trine 6, Misericordia 1
Homers by Hall and Clark powered the offense, while a strong effort from Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood) in the circle helped shut down Misericordia in the victory.
Trine wasted no time getting on the board, jumping ahead with a four-run first. Searles set the table with a leadoff single and came in to score on an RBI-groundout by Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw). Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) singled and Alicia Eavey (Avon, Ind./Covenant Christian) reached on an error to keep the line moving for Hall, who belted a three-run homer to make it 4-0 in favor of the Thunder. The homer was Hall's first of the season.
Searles set up Trine's next run with a leadoff triple in the bottom of the fourth. Clark's RBI-groundout scored Searles to make it 5-0 through four.
The Cougars broke through in the top of the sixth on an RBI-single by Melanie Quintanilla, but Clark answered in the bottom half of the inning with a solo blast to restore the five-run margin. The homer was Clark's first of the season. She finished with two RBI's in the game.
Robles made the early advantage hold up, allowing just an earned run in six innings of work to earn her first victory of the season. She struck out six.
Searles finished the game with a pair of hits and two runs scored. Hall had two hits, including the three-run bomb. Jess Armillay was tagged with the loss for Misericordia.
Game Two: Trine 9, Neumann 3
The Thunder scored the first seven runs of the game, including five in the third to cruise to the victory.
After a one out Searles single in the top of the third, Clark and Marshall ripped back-to-back RBI-doubles to get Trine on the board. The Thunder added two runs on an error, and Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton) picked up her first-career RBI with a run-scoring single to cap the five-run inning.
Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) jump-started a two-run sixth with a leadoff single. Searles became Trine's all-time leader in steals during the inning, swiping her 66th-career base to put runners at second and third with none out. A Clark sacrifice fly made it 6-0, with Searles scoring an error to give Trine a seven-run cushion.
Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) cruised through her five innings of work, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out nine to earn her first victory of the season.
Trine added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh, with Searles and Clark picking up RBI's.
Daniels and Marshall each recorded three-hit games for the Thunder, while Porter added two hits. Clark knocked in three runs.
Neumann added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh. Jamie Scannella, Julie Stipa and Jessica Harrell knocked in runs for the Knights. Kristin beaty was tagged with the loss.
Trine returns to action tomorrow with two more games at the Dot Richardson Spring Games. The Thunder will face Susquehanna at 1:00 p.m., followed by Illinois College at 7:00.