ANGOLA, Ind.-- The ninth-ranked Trine softball team swept a doubleheader from Case Western Reserve Saturday afternoon at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.
The Thunder earned an 8-4 victory in game one, before rallying back with 10 runs in the fifth to earn a 15-6 run-rule victory in game two. Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) stayed hot at the plate, extending her hitting-streak to 14 with five-hit day that included a grand slam and five RBIs. Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison), Rachell Noble (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) and Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering) each homered as well for the Thunder. Mollie O'Brien homered twice as part of a five-hit day to lead the Spartans. Trine improved to 25-2 overall. Case Western Reserve fell to 20-9 on the season.
Game One: Trine 8, Case Western Reserve 4
The Thunder owned the middle innings in the game one victory.
O'Brien led off the game with her first leadoff homer of the day for the Spartans. Case Western Reserve entered the doubleheader leading the nation in home runs. Trine answered in the bottom half with an RBI-single by Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw), who extended her hitting-streak to 10 in the doubleheader.
Two two teams traded zeroes until Trine broke things open in the bottom of the fourth. A one-out RBI-single by Emily McCarty (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) scored Schnarr to put the Thunder up 2-1. Trine proceeded to load the bases with two outs for Clark, who launched a long homer to left for a grand slam and a 6-1 lead.
McCarty and Marshall each picked up RBIs for insurance runs in the fifth and sixth respectively. Katie Wede hit a three-run double in the seventh to account for the rest of the Spartans' scoring.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) worked the complete game to earn the victory in the circle. The junior improved to 13-2 on the year.
Game Two: Trine 15, Case Western Reserve 6
Trine trailed entering the bottom of the fifth, but scored 10 runs to earn the victory by run-rule.
O'Brien once again led off the game with a homer to get the Spartans on the board, but the Thunder answered with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Fox knocked in a run to tie the score, before Schnarr connected on a two-run homer to make the score 3-1.
The Spartans took the lead back with a four-run third. Pinch-hitter Grace Tritchler knocked in two runs with a double, while Ashley Parello added an RBI-single. Parello picked up another RBI-single in the fourth 6-4. Noble hit a solo blast in the bottom of the fourth to pulll the Thunder back within 6-5.
Trine blew things open to get the victory in the fifth, loading the bases with one out. Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) came through with a big two-run single to give the Thunder the lead. A wild pitch and bases-loaded walk drawn by Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) pushed the score to 9-6.
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) then cleared the bases with a three-run double to put the Thunder up 12-6. An RBI-double by Clark set the stage for Fox, who hit a towering blast to left-center to send Trine home victorious.
Mollie Lovasko (Whiting, Ind./Whiting) earned the victory with a scoreless inning of relief work. The freshman is now 2-0 on the season.
Trine returns to MIAA-action Thursday when they travel to Olivet. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
