LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Trine University softball team dropped two places in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, falling to seventh after a week that saw the team finish 3-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) games.
Besides top-ranked Salisbury University, this week saw major shakeups in the top-ten. Berry College jumped a few spots to second while Case Western Reserve University moved up four spots to third. Directly in front of the Thunder are Texas Lutheran University at fifth and Christopher Newport University at sixth.
Trine picked up three crucial wins during their week. The week began on Wednesday with a split with Calvin University. The Thunder dropped the first game after mounting a seventh inning comeback on the back of an Amanda Prather double to force extra innings. The second game saw sophomore Ainsley Phillips score the first run on a triple and an error followed by Prather scoring on a sacrifice fly later to build a 2-0 lead. Senior Anna Koeppl pitched for six strong innings before Lauren Clasuen finished off the combined shutout.
Freshman Emma Lee ended up being the hero of the second series of the week, as Trine secured a sweep of Alma College. Lee accounted for a team-high four RBIs in the first game while also scoring a run herself as the team won 8-5. Then in the second game she pinch-hit and walked off the game in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI-single.
Junior Scarlett Elliott had a quiet but solid week for the Thunder. In addition to solid defense at third base, she recorded a hit in every game extending her current streak to eight games total.
The team, which currently boasts a 26-4 overall record, will continue MIAA play with their next contests. They are scheduled to face Hope College on Thursday, April 27. The pair of road games are set to start at 3 p.m. The Thunder currently sit first in the MIAA standings with record of 9-1.