VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In a pair of matchups with fellow nationally-ranked opponents, the Trine University softball team finished with a split. The Thunder, who were ranked second in the first National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national poll of the season, defeated fifth-ranked Berry College in extra innings this morning before dropping a close game to seventh-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University.
Trine opened their first day of the Cross Bay Bash, which is cohosted by Christopher Newport University and Virginia Wesleyan, with the Vikings. The game began as a pitchers' duel, with neither team getting a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning. That first hit would come for Berry against starting pitcher Anna Koeppl. The senior worked her way out of the small jam and went on to pitch two more outs in the fifth before exiting the game.
Freshman Debbie Hill, took over pitching duties and finished regulation without surrendering a hit.
The Thunder on the other hand were unable to record a hit during the regularly scheduled seven innings, though they did draw four walks and three errors to put runners on the base paths. None would make it home however and the game headed to extra innings scoreless.
The offense finally arrived in the eighth inning. Sophomore Ainsley Phillips began the inning on second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Ellie Trine. Graduate student Cassie Woods followed up with a double to left center, bringing in the first run of the day for either team. A few batters later, junior Scarlett Elliott came up with a single to bring Woods in and give the team a 2-0 lead.
The Vikings began the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice bunt of their own, before their second batter knotted the game at two with one swing of the bat. Hill recovered quickly and forced a ninth inning after two quick outs.
Senior Amanda Prather opened the top of the ninth with another sacrifice bunt, moving freshman Emma Lee to third. Sophomore Emma Beyer followed up with a deep ball to center giving the team the lead on the sacrifice fly. Phillips cushioned that lead with a solo shot to left field and the team took a 4-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
Hill came up with three more outs and secured the win, she finished with four and a third innings of work with four strikeouts. Koeppl finished the first half of the game with four strikeouts as well while allowing just the one hit and a walk.
The team traveled across the bay for their second game of the day, facing off with the Marlins on their home diamond. The Thunder struck first, taking advantage of an error and hit by pitch to score their first run. Beyer recorded the RBI with a single to left field after the miscues put runners on second and third.
The home team responded in the bottom of the third. They led off with a single, then stole second. Surrounding the steal, junior Alexis Michon recorded the first and second outs of the inning, but a second single brought in the run and tied the game at one. Another lead off hit in the fourth followed by a pair of sacrifices gave Virginia Wesleyan their first lead of the game at 2-1.
It was a short-lived one. Hill came to the plate as the second batter of the fifth and recorded her third home run of the season, tying the game at two.
It took another full inning but the Marlins took back the lead in the bottom of the sixth. A pair of hits put runners on the corner with one out, before Beyer dove to stop a ball hit up the middle. The spectacular play kept a hit off the board but didn't stop the runner on third from scoring.
Trine made a change in the circle after the run, bringing in junior Lauren Clausen for the final stretch of the game. Michon finished her five and a third innings of work having allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts. Clausen ended up pitching for just the two final outs of the sixth, facing just two batters.
The Thunder were unable to bring in a run in the seventh and the 3-2 score went final for the team's first loss of the season.
Trine finishes the day 9-1 following the split. They will continue their season tomorrow, Saturday, March 11 when they face two more tough competitors. They start the day with Pfeiffer University at 10 a.m. before facing off with top-ranked Christopher Newport in a rematch of the 2022 national championship at 12:30 p.m.
