NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Trine University softball team posted a pair of lopsided victories over their hosts from Saint Mary's College, sweeping the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheader.
There were two headlines during the first game of the day. The first was the offensive explosion that started in the very first inning. The Thunder would plate 11 runs in the top of the first inning, the final four of those runs coming on homeruns from seniors Taylor Murdock (Lapel, Ind. / Lapel) and Ashley Swartout (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield).
In the bottom of the first the other main headline also began to emerge as sophomore Adrienne Rosey (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) would end the inning with three straight strikeouts.
The offense had what would end up being a slow inning in the top of the second scoring just two runs on the back of a single from Ainsley Phillips (Yorktown, Ind. / Yorktown) and a double from junior Ellie Trine (Kokomo, Ind. / Kokomo). In the bottom of the inning Rosey recorded three more straight strikeouts.
Junior Amanda Prather (Indianapolis, Ind. / Roncalli) scored both runs for the team in the top of the third on one swing of the bat and the bottom showed three more straight strikeouts for Rosey.
Trine would score five in the fourth inning with freshman Emma Beyer (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek) plating two on the first homerun of her career and sophomore Giselle Riley (Temecula, Calif. / Temecula Valley) plating the other three on a double.
Rosey would continue her dominance in the circle striking out the side for the fourth straight inning.
The Thunder would score five more runs in the top of the fifth. Scarlett Elliott (Utica, Ohio / Utica) would be hit by pitch for the first run and Prather would score the other four on her second homer of the game. The grand slam made the score 25-0 heading to the bottom half of the inning, all but insuring that the game would end under the run-rule.
There was still the business of Rosey's start which had yet to see a baserunner as the team went to the bottom of the inning. In fact, Rosey had struck out all 12 batters she had faced in the game. Her quest for the perfect game would end during a particularly gusty part of the day with a full count walk.
Rosey would end the game three batters later, completing the 12th no-hitter in the program's history. She would also finish off the game with three more strikeouts finishing with 15, it is only the third time in program history that a pitcher has reached 15 strikeouts in a single game and the second highest total for a single game as well.
The offensive performances were also historic. Swartout would finish the game with three hits, three RBIs and two walks. Her record though would come from crossing the plate five times during the contest tying the program record.
Prather finished the game going 4-for-4 with her two homers and seven RBIs which ties for third most in a single game in program history. Riley would finish the contest with three RBIs. Five members of the team would record a pair of RBIs in the contest including Trine, Murdock, Beyer, Elliott, and Phillips. Freshman April Sellers (North Salem, Ind. / Tri-West) brought in one run for the final RBI of the game.
The offense would continue to be extremely effective in the second game, though it didn't get off to quite the start that it did in the first. Neither team would score a run in the first inning.
The bottom of the second saw the Thunder start their scoring. Phillips brought the first run in with a double, Trine followed up with a single and an error that brought in another. Murdock would finish the inning with her second homer of the day making the score 4-0.
The third inning saw the team really bring in the runs, as they would score seven making the score 11-0. Elliott, Prather, Riley, Phillips and Trine would all bring in a run with Murdock homering for a third time to finish the inning again.
In the circle for the Thunder sophomore Elizabeth Koch (Franklin, Wis. / Franklin) turned in a strong performance, but she did allow one run to the Belles in the top of the fourth inning, coming off of a homerun of their own.
It didn't matter much to the outcome however with Trine responding with five runs in the bottom of the same inning. Ellie Trine would bring home one to start the inning. Then senior Mercede Daugherty (Watervliet, Mich. / Watervliet) would bring in three runs with a bases-loaded double. Swartout would then bring Daugherty home on a single.
Koch would finish of the victory with three strikeouts in the top of the fifth and the game would end with the Thunder ahead 16-1.
Koch would finish the game allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out four.
The team improves to 14-9 overall and 4-0 in MIAA play following the wins. They will return to the field tomorrow, Friday, April 15 when they travel to face Calvin University for another MIAA doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.