HOLLAND, Mich. -- The Trine University softball team secured their ninth Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season title with a pair of wins over host Hope College.
The Thunder entered the day needing just one win to secure their place atop the MIAA standings and they got that win in the first contest of the day.
The team scored their first runs of the day in the top of the third inning when junior Makenna Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) put a ball over the outfield fence to score two runs for Trine. The Flying Dutch responded in the bottom of the same inning, but Trine minimized the damage and entered the fourth with the 2-1 lead.
From there the Thunder blew the doors off the game, scoring six runs to finish with the 8-1 victory. Not to be outdone by her sister junior Michaela Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) brought in three of those runs with a homer of her own in the top of the sixth. The other three runs came from freshman Ashley Swartout (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield) as she recorded RBIs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Junior Hannah Kampmann (St. Paul, Minn. / Cretin Derham Hall) came away with her 12th win of the season in the circle for the Thunder. She allowed just five hits and one walk while striking out five in the contest.
The second game did not come as east for Trine, as both teams traded the lead back-and-forth throughout the seven innings.
The Thunder took their first lead in the bottom of the first with Swartout bringing in the run. It was short-lived however as Hope tied the game in their next at-bats.
The Flying Dutch then took their first lead of the day in the top of the third as they plated three to bring the score to 4-1.
In the fourth, Trine cut the deficit to one at 4-3. They then took back the lead once again thanks to Swartout who recorded her third homer of the season to give the team the 5-4 lead. It was once again short-lived as Hope came up with two runs of their own in the top of the sixth to pull back ahead 6-5.
But the Thunder had found their offensive groove and they took back the lead and more in the bottom of the sixth as they scored six runs aided by two homers. Makenna Hartline recorded her second of the day and freshman Taylor Murdock (Lapel, Ind. / Lapel) came up with her first home run of the season as the team came away with the 11-6 win.
Trine improves to 28-4 overall and 14-2 in the MIAA. With their first-place finish, the team will host the MIAA Tournament beginning on Thursday, May 2. Stay tuned to www.trinethunder.com for updated information on the tournament as it becomes available.
Before the tournament, however, the Thunder will finish off their regular season with a home doubleheader against Wittenberg University on Sunday, April 28. First pitch is scheduled for noon.