April 23, 2009

Box Score

ADRIAN, Mich. - The Adrian College softball team needed a pair of wins to secure their first MIAA title since 1993 and after a 2-0 game one win fell 7-5 in game two to Trine. Adrian currently stands at 32-4 overall and 11-3 in the MIAA while Trine is 26-8 overall and 10-2 in the conference. Trine will face Saint Mary's on Saturday and the Bulldogs need two wins by the Belles and also a split between Alma and Calvin tomorrow to win the league title outright. If Alma wins both and Trine splits with Saint Mary's then there will be a three-way tie for first. Adrian would lose out on hosting the MIAA Tournament due to tiebreaker rules.

In game one the story was Kelly Tomasek who improved to 20-0 in the circle with a five-hit shutout. Tomasek went 5.1 hitless innings before allowing a Sara Hivley single in the sixth. Tomasek faced a jam in the top of the seventh as she loaded the bases after three singles with two outs. She got Claire Will to foul popout to third baseman Jenna Kloster to end the game. Tomasek struck out five of the first six hitters en route to a 10-strikeout performance.

Adrian scored both of their runs in the bottom of the third. Kristin Toney doubled to right center to start the inning and Katie Adams RBI double to the top of the fence in right made it 1-0. Krissy Sheets walked and on ball four Adams moved to third on a passed ball. Sarah Hall had an infield RBI single to shortstop to score Adams from third for a 2-0 lead. Toney had two of Adrian's four hits in game one.

Tomasek got the start in game two and did not have her usually dominant stuff right off the bat in the first. Hivley walked to start the inning and Sallie Richardson followed with a single. Tomasek buckled down to record three straight outs including two strikeouts to end the threat. Trine broke through in the bottom half of the third scoring four runs to take a 4-0 lead. The Bulldogs committed two big errors in the inning and Tomasek faced four batters before being lifted for Kelly Eberhardt. Tomasek's final numbers were 2.1 innings with two hits and one earned run allowed with two walks and two strikeouts. She however did take her first loss of the season (20-1).

Eberhardt went the final 3.2 innings and allowed seven hits and four earned runs with two walks and a strikeout. Adrian went down 6-0 heading into the top of the sixth but scored four times to make a game of it. Holly Lowe doubled to start the inning and Toney's RBI single up the middle scored Lowe with Adrian's first run. Trine made a big error with the bases loaded and one out as Laura Heinz grounded to shortstop and Richardson's throw to the plate went past catcher Alishia Raak scoring two Bulldogs to cut the lead to 6-3. Adams had a sacrifice fly to left which scored Katrina Wotten from third and Sheets hit a ball to the fence in center which was caught for the final out.

Trine increased their lead to 7-4 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Kara Graham doubled to start the inning and later scored on a squeeze bunt by Carrie Byrd with one out. Meghan Stevens hit her ninth home run of the season with two outs in the seventh but Kloster flied out to center to end the game.

Adrian had eight hits in game two as Sheets went 2-for-4 in her final home game as a Bulldog. Lowe also went 2-for-4 as did Stevens. Stevens had her 10-game hitting streak snapped in game one.