GREENCASTLE, Ind.-- Trine hit four home runs to pace an 8-3 victory over Washington-St. Louis to remain alive in the NCAA Regionals at DePauw University.
Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central), Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw), Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) and Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) all homered as Trine pounded out 11 hits. Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) worked the complete game in the circle to earn the victory. Trine improved to 38-4 on the season and stays alive in the hunt for a regional championship. Washington-St. Louis concluded the season 33-13.
Trine wasted no time getting on the board, as Searles bounced a ball into left for a leadoff single in the top of the first. Clark then jumped on a 2-1 pitch for a two-run homer to left-center and a 2-0 Trine lead.
Clark reached base on an error in the third to set up the second two-run homer of the day for the Thunder. This time it was Marshall, who turned on an inside pitch and snuck a long drive just inside the foul pole for her fourth home run of the season. Three of Marshall's homers have come in postseason play.
A single by Fox and another error put two on for Newell. The senior went opposite-field with a high drive for a three-run homer and a 7-0 Thunder lead. The home run capped off a five-run third.
The Bears scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run homer by all-conference performer Adrienne White. The game was then delayed by rain for over an hour.
When play resumed, Fox picked up the scoring again for the Thunder with an absolute bomb to dead center for a solo shot. The homer was Fox's 16th of the year, tying the freshman for the second-most in a single-season in team history.
Hannah Mehrle added an RBI-groundout in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin.
In seven innings of work, Fuller scattered nine hits and allowed three earned runs. The senior walked two and struck out two to improve to 16-1 on the season.
Trine will face Thomas More in a second elimination game, tentatively scheduled for this evening.