LEESBURG, Fla. – The Trine University softball team opened the Florida portion of their spring break trip with a pair of lopsided victories.
Up first was Emmanuel (Mass.) College who the Thunder defeated 10-0 in five innings. The team began the day in the field, with senior Lauren Clausen showing off her prowess in the circle right from the start. She had a pair of strikeouts in that first inning, the second of which started a streak of seven straight strikeouts for a total of eight in just four innings of work.
The team had a quick start on offense as well, scoring four runs in the first inning. Debbie Hill and Emma Lee both recorded two-RBI hits in the half inning to build the lead. Lee followed up in the second inning with a double down the right field line that scored two more runs for the Thunder and built the lead to 6-0.
The third inning was quiet by the early standards, with just one run scoring. It came on a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Gannon, bringing home Scarlett Elliott who started the inning with a triple. The pitching struggled in the fourth for the Saints, with four different members of the Thunder earning walks, three with basses loaded. Elliott was joined by Michaela Doiron and Giselle Riley in earning RBIs on those walks.
Trine finished the day with a 9-2 victory over the University of Mount Union, handing the Raiders their first loss of the season. The Thunder served as the visiting team in the contest, leading off the game in the batters' boxes. Ellie Trine drew a walk to start the game and eventually scampered home when Macy Rocha recorded the first hit of the game.
Hill made the start in the circle for the team. While she allowed two hits in the bottom of the first, she also recorded two strikeouts, the first of ten in her five-inning appearance. Despite the strong pitching the Raiders scored in the bottom of the second tying the game at one.
The Thunder got the offense going again in the fourth, plating five and batting through the lineup. Lee was joined by both Ellie and Karley Trine in earning RBIs during the inning. The final two runs of the inning came on a play involving both a wild pitch and an error by the catcher.
The team put Mount Union on notice in the top of the fifth, bringing in three more runs and making the score 9-1. Elliott and Ainsley Phillips both tallied RBIs in the inning.
Hill looked like she would end the game in the bottom half of the same inning, striking out two more to start, but the Raiders were able to stave off the run-rule by bringing in a run. It merely prolonged the inevitable with the Thunder winning 9-2.
Trine improves to 6-1 overall. They will continue their season tomorrow, Thursday, March 6 with two more games in Florida. They start at 9 a.m. by facing off with Waynesburg University, a rematch of last year's opening game of the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Championship, before finishing the day at 11:15 a.m. against Bethany Lutheran College.
