ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University softball team swept the day, securing their fourth trip in five years to the final site of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament. The Thunder staved off Muhlenberg College in a pair of elimination games to earn their spot and continue their 2025 National Championship defense.
After struggling in the batters' box on Thursday, Trine's offense returned to full force in Friday's first game. Whitney Duell brought in the first runs of the day with a single the second inning. The long ball did work in the next two innings, with the familiar trio of Tyra Marcum, Emma Lee and Debbie Hill each going over the outfield fence to add to the lead. Marcum's was a solo shot, Hill's was of the two-run variety and Lee's brought in three.
After RBI hits from Duell and Karley Trine the Thunder held a commanding 11-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Macy Rocha added one more insurance run in the top of the fifth with a double.
In the other half of the innings, Hill was a force in the circle. The senior pitched all five innings in 86 pitches, taking the shutout into the fifth. The Mules worked one run home in that inning but Hill got the win by the score of 12-1. She allowed just the one run on six hits and a walk while striking out a pair.
Muhlenberg went back to their number one pitcher, Eden Clark, for the final game of the series, hoping the freshman could turn in a repeat performance from Thursday's win. For nine innings she did. She held the Thunder to just one through nine innings of work. Lee brought home the tally in the fourth with a double that scored Rocha from first.
The Mules scored an answer in the sixth inning, chasing Sydney Adolfson from the circle in the process. The junior finished the game with five-and-two-thirds of work allowing the one run on six hits and a strikeout. Alex Rodriguez entered in relief and ended the scoring for the rest of the game.
Seven innings weren't enough with both sides going scoreless until the tenth frame. The wear of the weekend finally seemed to take a toll on Clark who faced jams in the eighth and ninth innings, but she rallied each time to extend the contest. The tenth inning saw the first two batters for the Thunder fall to fly balls, before Marcum singled down the right field line, bringing Hill back to the plate. The home run queen of Trine University lived up to the title, walking off the game and the super regional with a homer to right center field.
"I've honestly already blacked out the at-bat," said Hill after the game, "But I will never forget the faces of my teammates as they greeted me at home plate!"
Rodriguez gets credit for the win with her four-and-a-third innings of work. She allowed just one hit and a walk during the stretch while striking out one.
The Thunder improve 38-6 overall after the wins. They are now an impressive 5-0 in elimination games during the NCAA tournament, 7-0 if you include the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament.
They will advance now to the final site of the NCAA championship for the fourth time in the last five years. The three previous trips have ended with a place in the championship series, with two national titles and a runner-up finish. This year the finals will be hosted in Salem, Va. at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. The opening games of the event will take place on Thursday, May 28.
