EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Trevecca Nazarene University softball team (9-3) split a doubleheader with Davenport University (2-4) and McKendree University (3-3) on Friday afternoon at the Deaconess Sports Park.
Trevecca improves to 7-0 all-time versus the Panthers and 3-3 versus the Bearcats.
BLUE BRIDGE BATTLE
The 20-team event is hosted by Kentucky Wesleyan in Evansville, Ind. at Deaconess Sports Park. There are nine Great Midwest teams participating along with seven GLVC teams and five other teams from four other conferences.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GM 1: Trevecca 11, Davenport 3
Playing from the visitors' dugout allowed the Trojans to score a run in the top of the first inning. The first three Trojans reached, the most important of which was
Anna Bennett. Bennett led the game off with a walk and later stole home to give Trevecca a 1-0 lead. The Panthers responded with a three-run bottom half of the inning before the Trevecca bats got another crack at it. With one out in the second,
Malone Thrift reached on a throwing error by the shortstop that allowed two Trojans to touch home and tie the game at 3-3. With one out in the third, the Trojans added two more to the scoreboard.
Annabelle Ellis plated
Maddie Poschke with an RBI single to center field before
Sarah Nicholson stole home for the 5-3 lead through three innings. A passed ball added one more run to the books for Trevecca in the fourth as Bennett once again scored after reaching via a base on balls. A
Gracie Kirby sacrifice bunt brought in another run in the fifth before the Trojans got an RBI double from
Kendall Andrews and an RBI single from Bennett to round out the scoring in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.
CIRCLE AND BOX NOTES
* The Trojans collected scored their 11 runs on 11 hits.
* Ashlan Sensing(4-2) picked up the win with six innings of three hit softball. She struck out seven and allowed just three runs.
* Anna Bennett was 2-3 with four runs scored and two walks and two stolen bases.
* Kendall Andrews went 1-4 with two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base.
GM 2: McKendree 6, Trevecca 1
McKendree started the scoring in the top of the first with a one-out RBI single. The Bearcats added two more in the third inning off a two-run homer to right field to give McKendree a 3-0 lead. Trevecca got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, but that was all for the game.
Kyleigh Burgett singled to lead off the frame and was driven in off the bat of
Kylie Chetakian. McKendree added two insurance runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth for the 6-1 win.
CIRCLE AND BOX NOTES
* Halle Grace Patton (2-1) took her first loss of the season allowing five runs over four innings of work with five strikeouts.
NEXT ON THE SOFTBALL DIAMOND
The Trojans continue competition in the Kentucky Wesleyan College hosted Blue Bridge Battle in Evansville, Ind on Saturday.
Trevecca takes on No. 10 University of Indianapolis (8-1) at 10:00 a.m. and former G-MAC member Davis & Elkins College (6-2) at noon.
The Trojans travel to Jackson, Tenn. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 to take on future Gulf South Conference foe Union University (10-4) in a doubleheader. Trevecca leads the series in the NCAA Division II era 9-5. The Trojans have won the last six in the series.
