ANGOLA, Ind. – Mount Union's softball team split a pair of NCAA Tournament games on Friday afternoon, falling to No. 4 nationally ranked Trine 2-0 in their first game and beating Westminster 7-2 in an elimination game in their second game.
The Thunder (41-3) would break the scoreless tie in the top half of the third inning when Tyra Marcum hit an RBI double down the right field line to take a 1-0 lead. Trine would add another run in the fourth inning when Emma Beyer hit a sacrifice fly RBI to left field to extend the lead to two runs.
The Purple Raiders (34-9) wouldn't be able to plate any runs over the final three innings of the game as the Thunder would go on to win 2-0.
Sophomore
Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) would get the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up two runs, one earned on five hits and struck out four.
The Raiders would then take on Westminster in an elimination game for their second game of the day. Mount Union would strike first in their second game of the day when sophomore
Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) reached first on an error by the third baseman and sophomore
Kaitlyn Culver (Girard) scored to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Raiders would add three runs in the top half of the fifth to extend their lead to four runs, scoring off RBIs from sophomore
Emily Denney (Poland / Poland Seminary) and Culver.
The Titans (26-12) would answer with a run of their own in the bottom half of the same inning, scoring off an RBI single from Sydney Lokay to cut the lead down to three runs.
Mount Union would add three runs in the top half of the seventh with RBIs coming from Denney, Culver and sophomore
Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) to push the lead out to six runs. Westminster would answer with a run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to five runs, however that is as close as they would get as the Raiders would go on to win 7-2.
Sophomore
Chloe Bird (Norton) got the start in the circle in game two for Mount Union and gave up just one run on eight hits and struck out one in four innings of action. Cahill would come in to pitch three innings in relief and gave up one run on three hits while striking out one.
The win advances the Raiders to tomorrow's NCAA Regional Championship game against No. 4 Trine with first pitch set for 11 a.m.