CLERMONT, FLA.-- The 16th-ranked Trine softball team powered past Finlandia for a 12-4 victory Thursday morning at the Dot Richardson Spring Games.
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) went 4-4 with a homer, three RBI's, a steal and two runs scored to pace the Thunder. Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering) added a pair of hits and three RBI's. Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) drove in two runs and reached base in all three of her plate appearances. The Thunder put 19 runners on base in the five-inning game. Breanna Hines homered and drove in three runs for the Lions. Trine improves to 6-1 on the season with the victory. Finlandia falls to 5-6 overall.
Finlandia struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the first. The Lions plated a run on an error, and added a run on a RBI-double by Hynes to take a 2-0 lead.
Searles got the Thunder right back in it with a leadoff homer to cut the deficit to one. Schnarr added a two-out, two-run double to give the Thunder a 3-2 lead. The Thunder would not trail the rest of the game.
Trine tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the second. Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw) drew a bases-loaded walk and Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) added a sacrifice fly in the inning.
A two-run blast in the top of the third by Hynes cut the Thunder lead to 5-4. An RBI-single by Searles scored Daniels in the bottom of the inning to give Trine a two-run lead.
The Thunder blew the game open with a five-run fourth. Trine loaded the bases with none out before an RBI-single to left by Schnarr scored the first one of the inning. Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton) added an RBI on a fielder's choice before a two-run double by Daniels made the score 10-4. Searles capped the inning with an RBI-single.
Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth for the final 12-4 margin.
Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the season. Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood) tossed two innings of shutout relief for the Thunder.
Trine's afternoon game with Grove City was suspended with the Thunder leading 6-0 in the second inning due to weather.