BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Trine University softball team picked up a pair of wins on the eventual national championship hosting field at Illinois Wesleyan University. The Thunder won the first game 6-2, before holding off a comeback attempt by the Titans for a 6-5 second win.
The offense got going quickly in the first game of the day. Whitney Duell led off the game by drawing a free base and then trotted home off a home run by Debbie Hill. In the next at-bat, Emma Lee secured a single to left field and promptly stole second. She reached home on a single by Macy Rocha.
The Titans responded in the bottom of the first, working a run home on a double. They cut the lead to one in the fifth with an RBI-triple.
A second three-run inning put the comeback attempt off the table. Trine loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, scoring a run on a fielder's choice from Lee and then two more on another Rocha single.
Despite the two runs against her, Alexis Michon pitched another fantastic game for the team. She allowed seven hits but struck out ten in the game.
The Thunder put runs on the board in the second third and fourth inning of the second game. Duell started the scoring in the top of the second, bringing in a pair of runners with a bases loaded single to centerfield.
Rocha added another RBI with a solo shot in the third inning. A few batters later, Lee came in after she stole third on a walk and forced an errant throw. The bottom half of the inning saw the home side get on the board with a single down the line.
Trine built on their lead one more time with a pair of runs in the fourth. Emma Beyer plated the first with a single up the middle and then Keelin Wheaton brought in the other with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Things got interesting in the fifth inning when the Titans got to Hill who made the start in circle. The first two batters of that inning reached for the home team and then they cleared the bases with a homer of their own. When they first two batters reached again in the seventh, the coaches made a change, bringing Michon back to the stripe for a save attempt. The senior held the opposition to just one more run before recording a strikeout to end the game with a 6-5 victory.
Hill ended up responsible for all five runs, coming off eight hits and four walks. She struck out nine along the way. Michon finished with one inning of work and allowed just one hit and added one more strikeout to her day and the first save of the season.
The Thunder improve to 14-4 after the pair of wins. They will take the field when they host Spalding (Ky.) University on Saturday, March 29. That doubleheader is scheduled to start at 12 p.m.
