CLERMONT, Fla. – The Trine University softball team split on their first day in Florida, starting the day with a tight loss to Husson University before picking up their first win of the season with a run rule victory over Delaware Valley University.
The day began with a pitching duel, with neither team scoring in the seven regularly scheduled innings and for the third time in the young season the Thunder would head to extra innings.
Sophomore Lauren Clausen (Elk Grove, Ill. / Elk Grove) started the game for Trine and pitched four innings allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four. Classmate Adrienne Rosey (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) entered in the fifth and finished out the game pitching well for her first three innings of work continuing the shutout.
In the eighth inning the teams finally found some offense. Trine would strike first with a leadoff sacrifice bunt to move the free runner, placed on second as a part of international tiebreaker rules, to third. Senior Mercede Daugherty (Watervliet, Mich. / Watervliet) then brought the runner home with a single.
The run would not be enough with the Eagles advancing their runners to second and third and then bringing the both home on a walk off single to end the game and hand the Thunder a loss.
The second game of the day began looking like a pitching duel as well. The top of the first was a quick inning for Trine junior Anna Koeppl (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg), who started the game in the circle, as she set down three straight batters.
The Thunder would threaten in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases before the Aggies recorded their third out keeping the game scoreless. The second inning would go nearly the same and the game would head to the third scoreless.
Koeppl's no-hitter bid ended in the top of the third, but she kept the shutout in tact after the two-run hit. Having played with fire through the first two innings, Delaware Valley finally got burned in the third when Trine would score seven runs.
Senior Ashley Swartout (Westland, Ind. / Westland) started the barrage with a double scoring one. Freshman Ainsley Phillips (Yorktown, Ind. / Yorktown) then brought a run despite grounding into a double play.
Now with two outs the Thunder continued to score. Sophomore Giselle Riley (Temecula, Calif. / Temecula Valley) brought home the next with a double, followed a few runners later by a two RBI single bases loaded single by junior Amanda Prather (Indianapolis, Ind. / Roncalli). Daugherty then finished off the scoring by forcing an error that scored a pair of runs.
Another 1-2-3 inning from Koeppl and Trine got right back to scoring runs. The first three batters reached on singles for the team in the bottom of the fourth. Riley brought home a run with groundball leaving runners at the corners. Freshman April Sellers (North Salem, Ind. / Tri-West) would bring in another run while grounding out to shortstop.
Junior Ellie Trine (Kokomo, Ind. / Kokomo) brought in the next run with a single before trotting home on the back of a Prather double. Daugherty then brought Prather home from second with a single of her own giving the team a commanding 12-0 lead and setting up a run rule victory opportunity.
Trine brought in freshman Kaylyn Coahran (Muncie, Ind. / Yorktown) to close out the contest. She would do so decisively striking out the side to complete the shortened victory.
The Thunder finish the day 1-7. They will continue their Florida slate of games tomorrow, Thursday, March 9 when they take on Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 10:30 a.m. before finishing with Muskingum University at 12:45 p.m.