ANGOLA, IND.-- The Trine softball team claimed the first-ever Regional Championship in school-history with a pair of victories over Muskingum Sunday afternoon.
After dropping a game to the Muskies yesterday, the Thunder gutted out three-straight win-or-go-home games to take home the first Regional title in Trine softball history. The Thunder scored early and held on late in the 5-4 victory in game one. In the championship game, Trine pounded out 20 hits to win 13-4 by run-rule in six innings. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) was named Most Outstanding Player of the Regional after batting .421 with two triples, two home runs, three RBI's, eight runs scored, three steals and several superb defensive plays in center. The junior broker her own school hits record for a single-season and now has 80 on the year. TU concludes the Regional tournament 41-4, with today's game two victory giving Trine a new school-record for wins in a season.
Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton), Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) and Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) also earned All-Regional Tournament honors. Daniels batted .533 with a homer and seven RBI's in the tournament. Clark hit .450 with a pair of home runs and eight batted in. Fuller picked two wins, including the clincher, and a save for the Thunder.
Trine moves on to face Emory in the Super-Regionals next weekend in a best-of-three series. A site has yet to be determined for the series.
Trine 5, Muskingum 4
The Thunder scored five runs in the first two innings and held on as the Muskies rallied late.
Kayley Bevard had a monster weekend atop the Muskingum lineup, and she set the table for the Muskie run in the first with a leadoff single. After advancing to second on a sac bunt by Kelly Martin, Bevard came around to score on an RBI-single by Jessica Matthews.
Trine answered in the bottom half of the first, with Searles setting the table with a leadoff single. The speedster stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and raced in to score on a squeeze bunt laid down by Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw). A two-out double by Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) kept the line moving, before Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering) doubled off the right-center fence to cap the scoring and make it 3-1.
A one-out single for Searles set the table for Clark in the second, who lined her 15th homer of the season to left to put the Thunder 5-1 in the second. Clark moved into second on Trine's single-season home run list with the bomb.
Bevard once again came up big for the Muskies in the fourth after MU put runners on second and third with two out. The NFCA All-Central Region left fielder ripped a single through the middle to cut the score to 5-3.
A one-out walk drawn by Amber Bova and a stolen base set the stage for another big moment for Bevard, who singled through the right side to cut the score to 5-4 in the sixth. Bevard finished 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBI's in the game.
The Muskies put runners on the corners with one out in the seventh, but a Searles throw to the plate following a fly out to center kept the runner at third with two out. Fuller retired the final hitter herself on a groundout.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) picked up the victory for Trine, allowing six hits and three earned runs. She walked two and struck out two. Fuller picked up the save in relief after surrendering an earned run on two hits, with one walk and five strikeouts.
Ashley Gilbert kept the Muskies in the game with 4.2 shutout innings of relief.
Trine 13, Muskingum 4 (6)
A seven-run sixth put the game out of reach and gave the Thunder the Regional title.
The outcome was in doubt through the first five frames as the two teams traded blows. Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) and Hall each had RBI-singles in the first as part of four-straight Thunder hits to give TU a 2-0 lead.
Bevard was once again in the middle of things for the Muskies, driving home a run with a single in the bottom of the second to cut the score to 2-1. Bevard batted .636 on the weekend with six RBI's.
Each team plated two runs in the fourth, with Clark knocking in a pair with a single for Trine and Kelly Martin returning the favor with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning.
The Thunder scored two runs in the top of the fifth on an RBI-double by Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton) and an RBI-single by Daniels. A freshman catcher, Porter came up big in the tournament with a .462 average over five games.
Fallon Gawry knocked in Muskingum's final run in the bottom of the frame with an RBI-single.
The Thunder exploded in the top of the sixth to put the game away. Clark lined her second homer of the day and 16th of the season on the first pitch of the inning. Porter and Jamie Lydick (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) each added RBI-singles before Daniels launched a no-doubter three-run homer to left to make the score 12-4. The senior team captain shown bright on the big stage, with a 4-for-4, four RBI performance in the game.
Clark added an RBI-single for the final margin.
Fuller picked up the victory with five innings of work. She allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Fuller tied Andi Gasco for most wins (23) and strikeouts (230) in a single-season in school-history.
The All-Tournament team is listed below.
Most Outstanding Player: Carly Searles, Trine
SS Haleigh Daniels, Trine
P Bree Fuller, Trine
OF Kaitlyn Clark, Trine
LF Kayley Bevard, Muskingum
SS Kelly Martin, Muskingum
2B Jessica Matthews, Muskingum
P Kahla Nolan, DePauw
C Sammi Bell, DePauw
2B Jen Bahm, Washington & Jefferson
