ALMA, MICH.-- The 5th-ranked Trine softball team swept MIAA-rival Alma to extend their winning-streak to a school-record 21 games Wednesday afternoon at Scots Park.
The Thunder got a solid pitching effort from Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) and timely hitting in the 6-1 victory in game one, while a six-run fourth paced the 6-3 victory in the nightcap. The 21-game winning-streak eclipses the previous school-record of 20-consecutive wins, set by the 2013 team that finished 38-5. Fuller set a career-high with 13 strikeouts in game one and notched the save in game two. Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) extended her hitting-streak to 13 games with hits each end of the doubleheader. Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) pounded out three hits and knocked in two runs to extend her hitting-streak to eight, while Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) added four hits and an RBI. Trine improves to 22-1 overall, 6-0 in the MIAA. Alma falls to 10-12 overall and 3-5 in the league.
Game One: Trine 6, Alma 1
Trine pushed across runs in each of the first three innings, which proved to be more than enough for Fuller.
The junior pitcher shut down the Scot bats, allowing just three hits and an earned run on her way to the complete-game victory. The 13 whiffs recorded by Fuller are a career-high and the third-highest total in a game in school-history. Fuller won her 12th-consecutive decision and is now 12-1 on the season.
The Thunder pushed across their first run in the top of the first when Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw) came in to score on an error. An infield single off the bat of Daniels scored Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton) to give Trine a 2-0 lead in the second.
Alma cut the score to 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Chanler McCaskey was hit by a pitch to force in a run.
A big, two-run single by Hall in the top of the third gave Trine a little breathing room with a 4-1 lead. The Thunder tacked on two runs in the sixth when Clark knocked in Daniels with an RBI-single and later came in to score on a double-steal. The RBI-single gave Clark an RBI in 12-consecutive games.
Daniels had three hits in game one for the Thunder. Marshall added two hits and scored two runs.
Game Two: Trine 6, Alma 3
The Thunder fell behind early, but a six-run fourth propelled Trine to the school-record 21st-consecutive victory.
Devan Olah got the Scots on the board in the first with an RBI-single. Olah came in to the doubleheader second in the MIAA in batting average and went 3-for-7 on the day.
Samantha Pierce was able to hold the Thunder at bay until the big fourth inning. Hall started the fun with a leadoff single. After an error, Porter singled home Hall to tie the score. Another Alma error led to two more runs before an RBI-single by Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) made the score 4-1. The final two runs of the inning came in to score on yet another Scot error.
The Scots added a pair of unearned runs in the sixth for the final 6-3 margin.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood) picked up the victory, allowing an earned run on seven hits in five innings of work. She walked one and struck out seven. Robles improves to 5-1 on the season. Fuller worked 1.2 innings and struck out two to earn the save.
Searles' RBI-single moved her into a tie with Kara Graham (2006-09) for fifth on Trine's all-time list with 102 career runs knocked in.
Trine returns to action this Saturday, Apr. 12 when they host Adrian at 1:00 p.m. on Senior Day.