ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University softball team split a tight pair of games against Calvin University in a doubleheader that may end up deciding the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season championship. The Thunder retained their lead in the standings with the split, staying one game ahead of the Knights.
Game one began as a pitching duel with neither team scoring over the first three innings. Junior Alexis Michon led the charge with the start in the circle, allowing just one hit and a walk over those first four innings.
The Knights on the other hand took a perfect game into the bottom of the fourth. It was then that senior Ellie Trine reached base on a walk to become the first baserunner of the day. Cassie Woods then moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Karley Trine then broke the tie with a double down the left field line that brought her sister home and gave the team a 1-0 lead.
After a quiet fifth inning, the Knights took a lead of their own. Michon allowed two hits to start the sixth before freshman Debbie Hill took over in the circle with runners on second and third. The next batter had an extended at-bat that ended in a two-RBI single before getting thrown out at second. Hill got out of the rest of the inning with the score remaining 2-1.
Junior Scarlett Elliott recorded a double in the bottom of the seventh with just two outs separating them from their first loss of the conference season. Senior Amanda Prather came up with a double in the next at-bat to tie the game at two. The Knights then sent the game to extra innings with two straight outs.
The top of the eighth went the way of Calvin, with the first two batters reaching base on singles. One run then scored on a Thunder error followed by a second on a groundout to the pitcher. The two-run lead ended up being enough and the 4-2 score would go final after a quick bottom of the inning.
The second game started in similar fashion to the first, with neither team finding any offensive success until the third inning. Sophomore Ainsley Phillips broke up the pitching duel in the top of the third when she hit a deep ball to left center that was good enough for a triple. She then reached home on the same play after a throwing error by the right fielder giving the team a 1-0 lead.
Senior Anna Koeppl continued to find success in the bottom half of the innings. In total she would pitch six and two-thirds innings allowing four hits while walking none and striking out four.
In the top of the sixth Trine extended their lead. Prather recorded a triple with one out and then beat out the left fielders throw after a flyout to score.
The 2-0 lead ended up being enough. Junior Lauren Clausen entered the game for the final out to record her first save of the season and to secure the win for Koeppl and the team.
Trine retains their spot atop the MIAA standings with a 7-1 record while Calvin finishes the day 6-2 after the split. Overall the Thunder now boast a 24-4 record. The team will next take the field when they travel to face Alma College on Sunday, April 22. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.