ANGOLA, Ind. - In a tournament marked by stunning comebacks and surprising outcomes, the Trine Thunder had the final say.
Trailing by three runs and down to their last out on Friday, the MIAA champion Thunder stormed back with three runs in the seventh to tie the game, then got a game-winning homer from Kaitlyn Clark in the top of the eighth to edge Alma, 8-7, to win the MIAA softball tournament for the third consecutive year.
It was the third win of the day for Trine (37-3), which charged out of the loser’s bracket for the second year in a row to win the MIAA tournament and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. It was the Thunder’s seventh MIAA tournament title in the last nine years.
Trine trailed 7-4 in the top of the seventh against Alma ace Morgan Stratton, the MIAA’s leader in earned run average during conference play. After a leadoff single by Kendra Marshall, a strikeout and force out left the Thunder down to their final out. One day earlier, Trine faced a similar deficit against Saint Mary’s, but rallied to send the game to extra innings, then won it 8-7 on a walkoff double in the ninth by reserve catcher Catherine Porter, only her 4th hit in 26 at-bats this season.
This time, Amy Newell doubled to score Jamie Schnarr to make it 7-5. Then, freshman Rachell Noble, with an 0-2 count on her, blasted a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to tie the score at 7-7.
In the top of the eighth, Clark unloaded her ninth home run of the season over the centerfield fence to break the tie. Senior Bree Fuller, last year’s MIAA Most Valuable Pitcher, allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the frame but set down the next three Alma batters to clinch the tournament title.
The game was a record-breaking one for Trine centerfielder Carly Searles. She had three hits, including a home run to lead off the game, to break the all-time NCAA Division III record for hits, giving her 301 for her career. Searles moved past The College of New Jersey’s Michelle Carlson, who had 299 hits from 1991-95 for the previous Division III mark.
After losing 4-2 to Alma on Thursday to fall into the loser’s bracket, Trine slugged its way back on Friday, opening the day with a 10-2, six-inning rout of Saint Mary’s. Marshall slammed two homers and a triple and drove in six runs to lead the way.
Then the Thunder forced a deciding seventh game in the tournament with a 13-5, five-inning romp over Alma, as Fox blasted two homers, and Newell and Leah Hall also went yard.
Trine will receive word on Monday where it will be headed for the NCAA Division III tournament. The live videostream can be viewed on ncaa.com. at 10 a.m.
