Trinity Lutheran’s softball team opened up a 10-3 lead after three innings of play and defeated Southwestern (Hanover) 11-5 on a cold and wet home field Thursday afternoon.
The Cougars, in improving to 5-0, didn’t wait long to get their offense rolling as Zoey Dulaney led off the bottom of the first with a single and she advanced to second on an error on the left fielder.
Olivia Cain followed by reaching first base safely on an error and Dulaney scored on the error. Cain scored on a wild pitch, and with two out, Morgan Brewer walked and she scored on a double by Maddie Adams.
After the Rebels scored two runs in the top of the second, Laura Roeder walked and scored on a single by Dulaney in the bottom of the inning.
The Cougars sent 10 batters to the plate in the third inning. Cain had a two-run double, and Dulaney and Grace Lance had run-scoring singles.
Trinity had eight hits and received seven walks and three hit batsmen, and only had two strike outs.
Dulaney had three hits, two RBIs and she scored two runs. Cain had two hits and a walk, two RBIs and she scored two runs. Adams had two hits, Lance had a hit, walk, RBI and scored two runs, and Roeder and Brewer both scored two runs, and Brewer had an RBI.
Coach Herb Gross said he liked the way the Cougars hit the ball.
“We hit the ball well. We made a lot of contact, put the ball in play and things went well. That’s all you can ask for in this kind of weather.”
Lance allowed two hits, she struck out 12 and walked seven.
Gross said, “In this temperature you don’t get that feeling. She threw a lot of pitches tonight, but she battled through the cold and she still struck out 12, and we had quite a few outs in the field as well. It was a good, complete game on her part.”
Gross said he would like to see better at bats from some of the players.
“We still need to work on our hitting. A little more clutch hitting would come in handy. We left a lot of girls on base. We’ve got to get better at that.” They left two on in the second, third and fifth innings and seven for the game.
The Cougars had one error. Gross said, “If we clean up a couple things on the field we’re going to be hard to handle.”
Trinity will play in a tournament at Rising Sun Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.
Trinity Lutheran 11, Southwestern (Hanover) 5
Trinity offense: 3 hits, Zoey Dulaney, 2 hits- Olivia Cain, Maddie Adams, 1 hit-Grace Lance, 2B- Cain, Adams, RBIs- Dulaney 2, Cain 2, Morgan Brewer, Adams, Lance. Runs- Dulaney 2, Cain 2, Brewer 2, Lance 2, Laura Roeder 2, Emerson Warren 1.
WP- Lance 7 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 12 K, 7 BB’s