ALBION, Mich.-- The Trine softball team got huge offensive efforts in both ends of a doubleheader sweep of Albion Saturday afternoon at Dempsey Field.
The Thunder scored 25 runs on 21 hits in the sweep, including four home runs. Trine took game one 9-0 before completing the sweep with a 16-1 victory in game two. Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind. / Warsaw) homered twice and drove in eight runs as part of a four-hit day to lead the Thunder. Marshall extended her hitting-streak to nine and moved into seventh in team history with 108 career RBIs. Trine improved to 24-9 overall, 11-1 in the MIAA. Albion fell to 6-26 overall, 0-16 in conference play.
Game One: Trine 9, Albion 0
The Thunder bats came to life in the late innings to back a strong effort from Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif. / Lakewood).
Robles fired a two-hit shutout in her six innings of work. The shutout was the 15th of her career, tied with former teammate Bree Fuller (2012-15) for second in team history. Robles walked one and struck out seven to improve to 12-5 on the season.
A sacrifice fly for Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth Canton) got Trine on the board in the second, but it wasn't until the later innings until the Thunder bats really came to life. Rachell Noble (Indianapolis, Ind. / Decatur Central) and Lainey McCue (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) each knocked in runs in the fourth to push the score to 3-0.
Trine broke things open in the sixth, with a two-run single by Alison Lang (Rome City, Ind. / East Noble) pushing the score to 5-0. Marshall capped off the scoring in a big way, launching a grand slam for her first of two homers on the day. Marshall has homered three times during her nine-game hitting streak.
Noble and McCue each notched two-hit efforts in game one for the Thunder.
Game Two: Trine 16, Albion 1
A fast start and a 10-run fourth powered the Thunder to a second-straight victory by run rule.
Trine jumped out early with five runs in the first, paced by two-run homers by Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn. / Wilson Central) and Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio / Edison). Clark's homer was the 35th of her career. Fox moved into a tie for seventh in team history with her 22nd-career home run.
Rachel Zink (Gahanna, Ohio / Gahanna Lincoln) and Noble each added RBIs for the Thunder. Noble's RBI-double made the score 6-0 after two.
Marshall started the scoring and capped off the 10-run fourth. The senior plated a run with a single, then put the exclamation point on the inning with a three-run homer to close out the scoring on the day. Zink notched an RBI-triple in the inning, while Porter, McCue, Fox and Emily White (Fortville, Ind. / Mount Vernon) ead added RBIs.
Bre Cooper (Beech Grove, Ind. / Beech Grove) picked up the victory with four innings of work. The senior improved to 5-0 on the season, allowing an earned run on five hits and striking out four.
Trine heads to Alma next for a pivotal doubleheader in the MIAA race. The Thunder and Scots square off Wednesday, Apr. 27 at 3:30 p.m.