ANGOLA, IND.-- The 5th-ranked Trine softball team opened MIAA-play with a sweep over Olivet Saturday afternoon at the Trine Softball Field.
The Thunder had to grind out a 4-2 victory in game one before the bats awakened for an 8-0 win in five innings in the nightcap. The wins extend the team's winning-streak to 17 games- the second-longest win-streak in school-history. Trine got strong pitching performances from Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) and Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lake Wood). Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) continues to tear the cover off the ball, homering and driving in four runs as part of a six-hit day. Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) homered and drove in three runs on the afternoon. The Comets came in as the team with the lowest-ERA in the conference. Trine improved to 18-1 overall, 2-0 in the MIAA. Olivet falls to 13-4 overall, 2-2 in league play.
Game One: Trine 4, Olivet 2
The Thunder spotted the Comets an early lead, but some clutch power-hitting and a strong outing from Fuller led Trine back to the victory.
Olivet came out swining the sticks to push across a run in the top of the first. Lauren Lenard led off with a double before an RBI-single through the right side by Ashlynn Grubb put the Comets on top, 1-0.
Grubb would shut Trine down over the next three-plus frames before Clark launched a no-doubter solo home run to left-center in the bottom of the fourth. The homer was Clark's eighth of the season, and her seventh in the last 11 games. With hits in both games, she extended her hitting-streak to nine games. Clark has multiple hits in her last five games.
Trine went ahead in the bottom of the fifth when pinch-runner Jillian Craig (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) came in to score on a failed pick-off attempt.
A two-run blast by Harris off the scoreboard in right-center provided what would prove to be the winning runs. The homer was the junior's third of the season. After picking up an RBI in each game, Harris has driven in a run in six-consecutive contests.
The Comets tacked on a run in the seventh on an infield-single by Grubb, but Fuller was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam with no further damage. Fuller went the distance, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, with one walk and 10 strikeouts. The junior has struck out 10 or more six times this season, and has complete games in her last four starts.
Grubb suffered the loss, with three earned runs allowed in six innings. She struck out four. Grubb entered the game averaging over 10 strikeouts per seven-innings pitched.
Game Two: Trine 8, Olivet 0 (5)
Robles was solid in her two-hit shutout, while the Thunder bats awakened to pound out 13 hits in the victory.
Robles walked one and struck out four to improve to 4-0 on the season. The sophomore retired the last 14 batters of the game in order.
Clark stayed hot at the plate in game two with four hits and three RBI's. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) notched a double and a triple to drive in two runs. The two RBI's give Searles 100 in her Thunder career. With five total bases on the day, she passed Sarah Belote for third in Trine history with 283 total bases.
With a hit in each game of the doubleheader, Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) extended her hitting-streak to eight games. The senior totaled three hits on the day and made a diving catch in shallow-left field in game one.
Morgan Stratton took the loss for the Comets, allowing eight earned runs in five innings. Stratton entered the game with a 0.30 ERA, which ranked third in the conference.
Trine returns to action tomorrow when they host Kalamazoo at 1:00 p.m. at the Trine Softball Field.