Calvin University

ANGOLA, Mich. - Today the Calvin softball team traveled to take on Trine in a MIAA conference double header. After going 1-1 against the Thunder the Knights moved to a 25-11 overall record and a 11-3 MIAA record.
 
GAME ONE
CALVIN 13, TRINE 4
 
In the first game of the day the Thunder jumped on the board first when a solo homerun in the bottom of the first inning and another in the third inning gave Trine a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, freshman Bella Duimstra (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian) forced a lead off walk before a single from fellow freshman Audrey Ford (Kalamazoo, Mich./Mattawan) put two runners on for senior Carly Dole (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant). Dole stepped into the batters box and watched one strike go by before launching the next pitch over the left center fence for a three-run home run that gave the Knights their first lead of the game.
 
Calvin kept things rolling as back-to-back singles from junior Natalie Bush (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and freshman Kendall Jordan (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) quickly put runners back on the base path for the Knights. A groundball moved both runners into scoring position before junior Emily Sweetland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) cashed in on the opportunity when she notched a two RBI single to right field to stretch the Calvin lead to 5-2. 
 
Trine tried to punch back with a home run in the bottom of the inning however, the Knights picked up right where they left off when Dole scored Ford in the fifth inning to add to the Calvin total. A two-run home run from Bush and an RBI double from Sweetland gave the Knights a 9-3 lead after five innings. 
 
The Knights continued to show off their explosive offense in the sixth inning when Dole and Tory Decker (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) both notched an RBI while Jordan chipped in two as Calvin claimed a commanding 13-3 lead. Trine pushed one run across the plate in the bottom of the sixth, but the deficit proved to be too great and the Knights walked away with the 13-4 run-rule victory.
 
Dole finished with a team-high five RBIs while Sweetland chipped in three. In the circle, senior Brooke Hunderman (Grand Rapids, Mich./Calvin Christian) went all seven innings where she recorded six strikeouts.
 
GAME TWO
CALVIN 2, TRINE 10
 
In the second game of the day, the Thunder looked to bounce back as they quickly scored four runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the inning the Knights wasted no time finding a response when Ford singled down the right field line. Two batters later, an RBI single from Bush allowed Ford to cross the plate before a double from Jordan scored Dole to cut the Trine lead in half.
 
However, a solo home run in the third inning along with two extra runs in the bottom of the sixth increased the Thunder lead to 7-2. In the seventh inning, the Thunder continued to find success on offense as they notched three more insurance runs before eventually claiming the 10-2 victory.
 
Duimstra, Ford, and Bush each recorded two hits apiece while starting pitcher senior Emma Ludema (Martin, Mich./Wayland) went five innings in the circle with four strikeouts. Sophomore Cailin Knoop (Reed City, Mich./Big Rapids) and freshman Ally Coffey (Zilwaukee, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary) each went one inning in the circle.

COACHES COMMENT: "In game one I was really happy how we were the aggressor on offensive early and scored in multiple innings," said head coach Becky Hilgert. "We made their defense play fast at times and we got good results with that strategy. In Game two I told our team that they would punch first and we would have to take the punch and punch back but we just didn't play as aggressive offensively although we had opportunities we just didn't get the results to cut the gap. We are happy where we are at in the conference but we've got two big ones coming up on Wednesday to finish the regular season."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, April 29th when they host rival Hope in their final MIAA conference doubleheader of the season. Game one will start at 3 PM while game two will follow at 5 M.