WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Trine University softball team began their season with a pair of victories in Florida, the first coming in exciting fashion over nationally ranked competition.
The team began their season by facing off with a fellow nationally-ranked team. The Thunder are currently ranked second in the opening National Fastpitch Coaches Association national poll while Wartburg College came in at 14th. The Knights opened the scoring in the game recording a pair of homeruns in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead.
That score held into the sixth inning when a walk for senior Ellie Trine finally brought in the first run of the season for Trine. After freshman Debbie Hill reached base in the seventh, sophomore Emma Beyer played hero with a two-run homer. The single swing of the bat tied the game at three and forced extra innings.
In the top of the eighth the Thunder had their best offensive effort of the day so far. Ellie Trine brought in one run on a single and then Cassie Woods brought in two more with a double giving the team a 6-3 lead. After the Knights scored just one in the bottom half of the inning Trine secured the win at 6-4.
The offense really got going in the second game of the day, with the Thunder coming up with run-rule 17-3 victory over Carnegie Mellon University. Hill came up huge in the game recording a pair of homers to lead the team with six runners batted in. Senior Amanda Prather also went yard in the game and finished second with three runners batted in. Woods and freshman Ashleigh Tranter each recorded a pair of RBIs and freshman Emma Lee brought in the last.
The Thunder will return to the field tomorrow, Sunday, March 5 for another two games. They begin their day against Penn St.-Behrend at 2 p.m. and then face Lebanon Valley at 4:30 p.m.