KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Trine softball team split a MIAA doubleheader at Kalamazoo Saturday afternoon.
Three solo homers and a two-hit shutout from Danielle Ray (Hamilton, Ohio / Badin) paced a 3-0 victory in game one. The Hornets rallied in game two, totaling 14 hits and taking advantage of five Thunder errors to earn the 9-5 victory. Trine hit five home runs on the day, led by Makenna Hartline's (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) two homers. Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio / Edison) moved into a tie with Kaitlyn Clark (2013-16) for second on Trine's all-time list with 37 career home runs and moved into sole possession of sixth in team history in career RBIs with 118.
The result of the doubleheader left the Thunder with an overall record of 22-2, 3-1 in the MIAA. Kalamazoo is now 10-10 overall, 1-3 in conference play.
Game One: Trine 3, Kalamazoo 0
Ray's pitching and three big swings gave the Thunder the game one victory,
The first solo homer of the game came on a leadoff bomb to left center by Fox to put Trine up 1-0 in the second. The homer was Fox's eighth of the season. She entered the doubleheader tied for ninth in the nation in homers.
Michaela Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) and Makenna Hartline each later added solo blasts in the third and sixth innings respectively. Michaela Hartline's homer was her fourth in the last seven games. Makenna Hartline's was her first of two overall on the afternoon.
Ray provided the rest of the work in the circle. The freshman surrendered just two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out a career-high 12. Ray has tossed two-hit shutouts in each of her last three starts. Ray now has a scoreless streak of 23.2 innings and has not allowed an earned run in 26.2 innings. She improved to 10-0 on the season.
Erin DuRoss allowed three earned runs on five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five for the Hornets.
Game Two: Kalamazoo 9, Trine 5
A five-run third, 14 hits and five Thunder errors paved the way for the Hornets' victory in game two to earn the split.
Trine scored first on a RBI-double by Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth Canton) in the bottom of the second.
Six straight hits to begin the third opened the floodgates for Kalamazoo in the third. DuRoss got the Hornets on the board with a RBI-single. The Hornets plated additional runs on a double steal and an error. Hayleigh Alamo's RBI double and Briana Hulskin's RBI single capped the scoring in the inning to give Kalamazoo a 5-1 lead.
Makenna Hartline's solo homer cut the score to 5-2 in the bottom of the third. Hartline now has a team-leading nine home runs this season. She entered the weekend tied for ninth in the nation in homers. She is tied for 10th in the team record books for homers in a season.
The Hornets added two runs in the top of the sixth. Nori Seita and Alamo each provided the RBIs in the inning.
The Thunder loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth. Fox drew a walk to force in a run, but Trine was unable to score any more. The Hornets added two more in the seventh. Porter answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame for the final margin.
Porter notched three hits and knocked in three runs in game two for Trine. DuRoss had three hits and two RBIs to place Kalamazoo. Alamo also knocked in two runs.
Trine returns to action Sunday, Apr. 9 at Olivet. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Head coach Don Danklefsen's next victory will be the 400th of his career.