ALMA, Mich. – The Trine University softball team lost their first game against host Alma College before coming away with a lopsided victory in the second game to return home with the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) split.
The first game of the day turned into a shootout between the two teams. The Thunder stuck first coming away with four runs in their first three innings of offensive work.
The Scots finally responded in the bottom half of the third inning coming away with five runs in the half. Trine tied the game again in the top of the fourth and then lost the lead when Alma scored three in the bottom half of the same inning.
In the fifth and sixth innings, the Thunder pulled ahead behind three home runs from three different players and entered bottom half of the sixth up 10-8. The Scots would score the final three runs of the contest the final coming in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off the contest and Trine would fall 11-10.
Senior Lainey McCue (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) led the way for the Thunder in the game finishing with three RBI on three hits including one of the team's home runs. Junior Makenna Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) reached base in every time she came to the batter's box, with four walks and another of the team's homers. Sophomore Mercede Daugherty (Watervilet, Mich. / Watervilet) came up with the team's final home run of the contest and finished with two RBIs.
In direct contrast to the first game, the two teams started the second in a pitchers duel with neither allowing a run until the bottom of the fourth inning.
In that half, the Thunder found their offense and scored all eight runs of the game. Two of those runs came on home runs with Makenna Hartline and Michaela Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) both going yard. Makenna led the team with three RBIs.
In the circle, senior Kate Saupe (Farwell, Mich. / Farwell) pitched the complete game allowing just two hits and no runs to pick up her tenth win of the season.