(Story courtesy Trine University sports information)
A three-run seventh led Thomas More, Ky. to a 3-2 victory over Trine in the first round of the NCAA Regional Friday afternoon at DePauw, Ind. Softball Field.
After not recording a hit until the seventh, the Saints scored three times in the final inning to earn the victory. Dallis Knotts provided the game-winning hit with an RBI-single through the middle with two outs. Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to account for the scoring for the Thunder. Trine fell to 37-4 overall and drops into the elimination bracket. Thomas More improved to 27-15 and advances to face DePauw on Saturday.
Pitchers Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) and Mamee Salzer traded zeroes over the first five innings. Robles worked out of a jam in the third, getting a strikeout with the bases-loaded and two outs to keep the game scoreless.
Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to put the Thunder in business. After a sac bunt by Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw), Fox launched a two-run homer to right-center for the first runs of the game and a 2-0 Trine lead.
The homer was Fox's 15th of the season- the third-most in team history. The freshman is already tied for ninth on the team's all-time career list.
A leadoff double by Sammy Sagers broke up the no-hit bid in the seventh. Staci Stewart followed with a two-run homer to left-center to tie the score.
A pair of two-out walks extended the inning and led to the winning run. With runners on first and second, Knotts singled back through the middle for a 3-2 Saints lead and what would prove to be the winning run.
Trine put runners on in the seventh, but a double-play wiped one of the runners off the board and the Thunder could not score to extend the game.
Salzer earned the victory for Thomas More with the complete game. The All-PAC performer scattered five hits, walked six and struck out four to improve to 17-9 on the season.
Robles was tagged with the loss despite the solid outing. The junior allowed three earned runs on three hits, walked eight and struck out nine.
Trine will face Washington-St. Louis Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The loser of the game will be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. The winner turns right around to play a second elimination game at 4 p.m.
