Trine University Athletics sent out the following press release:
The Trine University softball team finishes the 2022 season as national runner up in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship after a 3-0 loss to Christopher Newport University in the second game of the final series. The second-place finish is the best in the program's history.
The Captains would bat in the top half of the inning after serving as the home team during game one of the series and immediately got the offense started. After the leadoff runner reached second on an error and third on a passed ball, the team brought her home with a sacrifice fly. The lone run of the first inning, it gave the team a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning the Thunder were unable to find their offensive footing against Christopher Newport pitcher Jamie Martin. The 2022 NFCA National Freshman of the Year retired the first ten batters she faced.
In the top of the fourth the Captains added two to their lead on an RBI double that chased sophomore Lauren Clausen (Elk Grove, Ill. / Elk Grove) from the circle. Clausen received the start for Trine after finishing out yesterday's game. In her three and two-thirds innings of work she allowed the three runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits and a walk.
Classmate Adrienne Rosey (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) entered in relief and quickly recorded the final out of the inning. The 2022 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Pitcher of the Year went on to finish the contest holding the opposition scoreless through the final three innings. She allowed just three hits while striking out three.
Senior Taylor Murdock (Lapel, Ind. / Lapel) finally broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning, but moved no closer to home than first with the next two at-bats going down as outs to end the threat.
The next inning saw the Thunder really test the opposition's defense. After a four-pitch walk to start the inning, sophomore Scarlett Elliott (Utica, Ohio / Utica) moved to second on a bunt single by freshman Emma Beyer (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek). Both would advance on a sacrifice bunt by senior Mercede Daugherty (Watervliet, Mich. / Watervliet). A third consecutive bunt, this time from junior Anna Gill (Ashville, Ohio / Teays Valley), went down as a fielder's choice loading the bases with just one out.
The inning ended two at-bats later with the score still 3-0 in favor of the Captains and two more quiet innings later the score would go final. The Captains, who were the top ranked team in the latest NFCA national poll and of the final eight teams to compete in Salem, win their first softball championship with the victory.
Three members of the Thunder would end the week on the NCAA Softball Championship All-Tournament team, which includes the best performances among the final eight teams that traveled to Salem. Rosey was the lone pitcher to earn the award for the team joined by Gill and junior Amanda Prather (Indianapolis, Ind. / Roncalli) in the field.
Rosey finished the week with four appearances for the Thunder and posted a 1.33 ERA and 20 strikeouts. She earned credit for two of the team's three wins and allowed just 18 hits.
Prather was an absolute menace in the batters' box finishing the week with a .333 batting average, a .375 on-base percentage and a .733 slugging percentage. She led the team with eight RBIs, five hits and two home runs, one of which was a grand slam. She posted a perfect fielding percentage and recorded 14 putouts while also applying the tags on both plays when the team caught runners stealing.
Gill had a quiet but solid week in the box finishing with an RBI on three hits and a .250 batting average. She was spectacular defensively also finishing with a perfect fielding percentage and making several exceptional plays in her spot in left field.
The team finishes the season 35-13, the 12th time the program has surpassed the 30-win mark since joining the NCAA. In addition to their first appearance in the final series and first national runner-up finish, the season marks their fourth super-regional championship, fifth regional championship and 11th MIAA Championship.