ADA, OHIO-- The 6th-ranked Trine softball team kept rolling, sweeping Ohio Northern to extend their winning-streak to 15 games Thursday afternoon at ONU Softball Field.
The Thunder bats produced four home runs to lead the team to 12-5 and 10-6 victories over the Polar Bears. Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) continued her power surge with a home run and a pair of doubles to knock in five runs. The sophomore has homered six times in the last nine games. Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) homered, doubled, and drove in three runs as part of a four-hit day. Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw) drove in five runs on the day. The doubleheader was the first meeting between the two schools since the 2012 NCAA Regionals. Trine improves to 16-1 overall. Ohio Northern falls to 8-10.
Game One: Trine 12, Ohio Northern 5
The two teams combined for six home runs, but Trine was able to muster more offense in the 12-5 victory.
Adriana Sikora and Jamie Westenkirchner each hit home runs to produce all five runs for the Polar Bears.
Daniels homered, doubled, and drove in three runs in her two-hit effort. The double was the 30th of the senior's career, which ranks third in Trine softball history.
A six-run third busted the game wide-open. Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) and Brittany Banks (Trenton, Ohio/Edgewood) contributed RBI-singles in the inning. Daniels plated a pair of runs with a double, while Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton) drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Marshall was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Marshall later hit a two-run double in the seventh to finish with three-RBI's in the game.
Clark's solo homer in the fifth was her seventh round-tripper of the season. That mark leads the MIAA.
Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) picked up her ninth-consecutive victory, striking out 10 in the complete-game effort. The junior has struck out 10 or more batters in five of her starts this season.
Game Two: Trine 10, Ohio Northern 6
The Thunder scored in all but one inning in the six-inning game, which was shortened due to darkness.
Clark doubled twice and drove in four runs. Porter homered and drove in two runs, while Marshall added a pair of RBI's. Daniels picked up a pair of base hits as well.
Carly McKenzie homered and knocked in two runs to lead the Polar Bears.
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) extended her hitting-streak to 12 games with a hit in game one and two hits in game two. Included among those hits was her third home run of the season. She came in to score six runs on the day.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood) gave up three earned runs and tied her season-high with six strikeouts to earn the victory. She is 3-0 on the season.
Trine returns to action Sunday, Mar. 30 when they host Mount Union at 1:00 p.m.