CLERMONT, Fla. – The Trine University softball team finished their spring break slate of games with two more wins, finishing their time in Florida undefeated.
The team began the day early with a 9 a.m. game against the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, a team that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2023. After a quiet first two innings, the Thunder broke the stalemate, loading the bases in the top of the third on two hits and a walk. Tyra Marcum was then hit by a pitch to bring in the run and make the score 1-0.
The Corsairs responded in the bottom of the fourth leading off the inning with a homerun that tied the game at one.
Trine manufactured another run in the fifth inning. Ainsley Phillips led off with a single and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Emma Lee. She moved to third on an error and then jogged home off of a Karley Trine single.
The team stretched their lead to 3-1 in the sixth when Debbie Hill led off the inning with a double. After being pinch ran for, the runner scored on two straight sacrifice plays.
The lead was enough due to another strong combined pitching performance by the Thunder. Lauren Clausen made the start and allowed just the one run in her four and a third innings of work. Hill finished the game with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit.
The second game of the day was a top-20 matchup with Lebanon Valley College. The Dutchmen entered the game ranked 19th by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), with the Thunder still set atop the poll. Trine seemed well prepared for the challenge, dominating the contest with an 11-0 run-rule victory.
Seven different members of the team had RBIs with Hill, Sydney Toman and Alexis Michon leading the way with two each. Karley Trine, Marcum, Michaela Doiron and Giselle Riley each had one.
In the circle Michon pitched all five innings and for her second start in a row was just shy of a perfect game. She allowed just one hit in the game, coming in the fourth inning, while striking out six.
The Thunder improve to 12-1 overall following the two wins. They will make a shorter trip for their next weekend of competition, heading to Elizabethtown, Ky. for the Pioneer Classic hosted by Transylvania University. On day one of the event, Saturday, March 16, the team will face Wartburg College and the hosts. Their first game is scheduled for 10 a.m.
