ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine softball team kept rolling with a sweep of Albion in an MIAA-doubleheader Saturday afternoon at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.
The Thunder earned 9-1 and 18-1 victories by run-rule. With seven hits in seven at-bats, Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) extended her streak of consecutive at-bats with a hit to 15. The senior is 15 for her last 15 with two walks. The 15-for-15 tear is the second-longest such streak in NCAA Division III history, trailing Kara Boyd's (Penn St. Harrisburg) streak of 17-straight at-bats with a hit in 2011. Searles' mark is tied for the second-longest streak in any division in NCAA history. Trine improved to 29-2 overall and 11-1 in the MIAA. Albion fell to 4-24 overall, 0-14 in conference play.
Game One: Trine 9, Albion 1
Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) fired a one-hitter and the Thunder pounded out 13 hits to earn the game one victory.
Fuller's only blemish in the hit column was a Julia Anderson single in the top of the sixth. The only run surrendered by the senior was unearned. She walked one batter and struck out eight to improve to 10-0 on the season.
Trine broke through in the third when Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) launched a two-run homer to put the Thunder in front. The homer was the senior's fifth of the season.
A four-run fourth extended the lead to five. RBI-singles by Searles and Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw) preceded yet another Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) home run. The freshman hit a no-doubter to deep center for her 11th homer of the season, the sixth most in a season in team history. Fox has homered 10 times in her last 11 games.
Searles showcased her power in the sixth with a two-run homer to center. After a Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) single, Marshall ripped a double to score Clark and give the Thunder the victory by run rule.
Marshall extended her hitting-streak to 14 games in the doubleheader.
Game Two: Trine 18, Albion 1
The Thunder hit three home runs, while the pitching staff gave up two hits to earn the sweep.
Trine's numerous offensive highlights included an 11-run second that featured three home runs. Clark, Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering) and Emily McCarty (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) all homered in the inning.
Clark moved into third on Trine's all-time list with her 28th career homer. Schnarr's bomb was her seventh of the season, while McCarty picked up her second homer in her last four games.
Searles added her 47th-career triple, pulling closer to tying the all-time NCAA mark of 51. Searles and Clark are now tied for second in school-history in career RBIs with 143, five short of breaking Andi Gasco's (2010-13) team record. Clark extended her hitting-streak to 18 games with a hit in each game.
McCarty, Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) and Erica Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) each knocked in two runs, while Cassidey Carraway (New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay) drove in her first career run.
With a three-hit afternoon, Hall moved into fifth on Trine's all-time list with 170 career hits. Hall has an eight-game hitting-streak.
Trine will host Alma for a key MIAA-doubleheader Tuesday afternoon. The Scots are tied for second place in the conference, one game behind the Thunder. First pitch at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field is set for 3:30 p.m.