Trine softball's postseason march continued with their two-game sweep over UW-Oshkosh May 19-20 in the Super Regional round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Softball Championships. Trine defeated the Titans 7-6 in game one in Angola, Ind., before a 7-5 victory May 20.
With their victories, the Thunder advance to the National Championship, hosted at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Trine will take on Amherst Thursday, May 25.
In game one against the Titans, Trine (37-8) fell behind early when UW-Oshkosh plated a trio of runs in the first inning. The Titans kept the lead until the bottom of the fifth, when Trine took advantage of a fielding miscue to score two unearned runs followed by an RBI single by Emily White. Oshkosh tied it up in the sixth with a two-run home run before Lainey McCue's RBI single scored Catherine Porter to decide the game.
Rain stymied Saturday's contest for over three hours after the first inning, but the Thunder responded with five runs in the first two innings. The Titans (33-13) answered with four runs in the third and a single tally in the fifth to tie the contest heading into the top of the sixth. Trine's Porter stepped up with not only an RBI single to score the go-ahead run in the sixth, but scoring an insurance run in the seventh for the 7-5 win.
Lainey McCue was named Most Outstanding Player of the Super Regional, while Danielle Ray garnered Most Outstanding Pitcher honors.
Trine and seven other teams will vie for the National Championship in Oklahoma City. The best finish by an MIAA team is third place, done three times (Hope, 1991; Alma, 1999; Alma, 2000).
Tournament links
NCAA Division III Softball page
NCAA Division III Softball announcement
