SMYRNA, Tenn. – The No. 17 Trevecca Nazarene University softball team (4-0) finished opening weekend of their own Music City Invitational with a pair of wins on Saturday at Cedar Stone Park.
Trevecca took down the University of Illinois-Springfield (2-1) 2-1 and closed the tournament with an 8-7 win over No. 3 University of Indianapolis (1-3).
SERIES HISTORY/NOTES
Trevecca picked up its first-ever win over UIS in three tries, the first since 2019.
The Trojans enacted revenge over the Greyhounds who knocked them out of the program's first-ever NCAA Super Regionals last season and draw the all-time series to 13-4, in favor of UIndy.
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME ONE
TNU 2, Illinois-Springfield 1 – F/8
After the first two Prairie Stars reached base via a hit-by-pitch and a fielder's choice, a sacrifice fly plated the first run of the day for UIS. The Trojans got the run back in the bottom of the second. With two outs and bases loaded, a timely passed ball allowed
Annabelle Ellis a free pass home to tie the game. From the third inning on, both starting pitchers settled in, allowing only a combined three hits through the next five full frames.
In extra innings, Trojan starter
Ashlan Sensing induced a pair of groundouts and collected her seventh strikeout of the day to finish off the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the Trojans won the game after a sacrifice bunt put the lead runner on third for
Sarah Kinderdine to single in the winning run.
CIRCLE AND BOX NOTES
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Sarah Kinderdine was 1-3 with the game-winning RBI single and a walk.
*
Annabelle Ellis went 1-2 with a run scored and a walk.
*
Cadence Jarrett went 1-4 and scored the game winning run.
*
Ashlan Sensing (2-0) picked up her second win and complete game of the season in as many days.
* Sensing now has 68 career complete games and is 63-25 through 100 appearances. She struck out seven, allowing just two hits and one unearned run on the outing.
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME TWO
TNU 8, UIndy 7 – F/10
After a relatively quiet first inning, UIndy broke through in the second with the game's first run. A one-out triple set up a scoring swing from Ella Palm who singled up the middle. A bases loaded single by Emma Piercy and a walk made it 3-0 Greyhounds. UIndy scored one in the third as the first four batters reached safely. The visitors added another run in the fourth inning, this time a lead-off triple was followed by a double to make it a 5-0 game.
The Trojans got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when four of the first five batters reached via base on balls. Consecutive hit-by-pitches then plated two more runs for Trevecca who pulled within 5-3 after four. A pair of singles led off the fifth for Trevecca who tied the game behind by a costly error from Greyhound second baseman Jocelyn Calvin.
Callie Williams and
Annabelle Ellis both touched home on the play, making it a 5-5 game through five complete.
The sixth and seventh innings saw a combined three bases runners and no hits between the two sides as this one needed three extra innings to be decided.
UIndy pushed its sixth run of the game home in the ninth after a wild pitch put the lead runner on third with no outs. A strikeout and a single later and the Greyhounds took a 6-5 lead. Trevecca responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning. A sacrifice bunt then a single by
Annabelle Ellis scored
Zoe Lawrence and forced a 10th frame.
UIndy's third triple of the day gave them a 7-6 lead before the Trojans ultimately finished things off in the bottom half of the 10th. A one-out RBI double from
Kyleigh Burgett tied things at 7 and a wild pitch put Burgett on third base.
Brookelyn Miles used a sacrifice fly to left field to end things and pull off the upset, 8-7.
CIRCLE AND BOX NOTES
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Annabelle Ellis was 2-3 with two runs scored, two walks and an RBI.
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Kyleigh Burgett went 1-2 with two RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
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Brookelyn Miles went 0-1 but had two RBIs, including the game winning one.
*
Ashlan Sensing (3-0) picked up her third win of the season by pitching all three extra innings.
* Sensing struck out three of the 12 batters she faced.
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
The Trojans hit the road for the first time this season and take on the three-day Charger Chillout next weekend, playing six games over three days.
On Friday, February 7, Trevecca faces Shorter University (0-2) at 1:00 p.m. and finishes up a doubleheader day against Young Harris College (1-1) at 3:00 p.m.
