ANDERSON, Ind. – The Trine University softball team posted a pair of lopsided shutout victories over their hosts from Anderson (Ind.) University.
The Thunder started the day's scoring in the top of the first inning of the first game. Junior Ellie Trine (Kokomo, Ind. / Kokomo) led off with a double to left field and was brought home a couple batters later with another double this time from senior Mercede Daugherty (Watervliet, Mich. / Watervliet). Two more run would score in the inning on the back of sacrifice flies from the next two batters; senior Ashley Swartout (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield) and sophomore Scarlett Elliott (Utica, Ohio / Utica).
Sophomore Adrienne Rosey (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) took the circle in the bottom of the inning and began what would be an impressive outing with a 1-2-3 inning bookended by strikeouts. She would follow it up in the second, this time with the strikeouts coming on the first and second batters.
The offense would add a pair of runs to the board in the top of the third inning. Trine started the inning with a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on the throw. The next two Thunder would also draw walks; senior Taylor Murdock () and Daugherty. Swartout would record another sacrifice fly to bring in a run. The next two batters would walk again, with junior Amanda Prather's (Indianapolis, Ind. / Roncalli) bringing in a second run.
The Ravens would record what would end up being their lone hit of the contest in the fourth inning, but Rosey followed up with two more strikeouts to end the inning with the runner stranded at second.
Swartout would add another run in the fifth, her third RBI of the contest, this time with one swing of the bat sending the ball out of the park.
The final runs of the game came in the top of the seventh inning when freshman Ainsley Phillips (Clarkston, Mich. / Clarkston) brought in a pair with a single to left field giving the team their final lead of 8-0.
Rosey would finish the game allowing just the lone hit, representing the lone baserunner for the Ravens, while striking out 12.
The team would pick up right where it left off in the second game of the day. This time Swartout would record the RBI when she was hit by pitch with bases loaded in the top of the first inning.
Sophomore Lauren Clausen (Elk Grove, Ill. / Elk Grove) would start the game in circle for the team and would finish the contest just shy of Rosey's contest. She would allow just one hit and one walk while striking out eight in just five innings of work.
She only got the chance to pitch for those five innings because the Thunder exploded offensively in the fourth inning, tallying eight runs on the way to securing a run-rule victory in the fifth. The first two runs were scored on errors earning only Daugherty an RBI. Two more would come on walks drawn by Swartout and Elliott. Prather would double to left field to bring in a pair and sophomore Giselle Riley (Temecula, Calif. / Temecula Valley) would bring in another on a sacrifice fly. The final run, the team's ninth of the game, came on a passed ball.
The game would end after the fifth inning with the score of 9-0 in favor of Trine.
The team improves to 8-9 following the pair of victories. They are next scheduled to play when they host Hiram College on Sunday, April 3 for a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.