April 21, 2010

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ANGOLA, Ind. - The contribution of sophomore Kelly Eberhardt cannot be measured this season for the Bulldogs as without her who knows what would have happened through the first 30 games. Eberhardt picked up her 16th and 17th wins in the circle in 2010 as the Bulldogs picked up a critical sweep at Trine on Wednesday and in the process moved into second place in the MIAA standings.

Eberhardt threw 12 innings in the doubleheader and improved to 17-4 on the year. She led Adrian to a 2-1 win in game one throwing a complete game and allowing five hits and one earned run. She walked three and struck out nine Thunder hitters.

Adrian got on the board first with a run in the top of the second as Katrina Wotten hit a solo home run for her second long ball of the season. Trine would tie it up in the bottom half of the second as pitcher Andi Gasco helped her own cause with a one-out solo shot to left field.

The Bulldogs threatened to break the tie in the top of the fifth as they put Maggie Hein on second and Katie Adams on first after back-to-back singles with two outs but Alicia Bickford struck out to end the inning. AC stranded two runners in the top of the sixth as well but did score the eventual game-winning run. Jenna Kloster drew a two-out walk and was run for by Shannon McWherter. Kristin Toney singled to right and McWherter took third on the play. Amara Karapas delivered a RBI single to left as McWherter scored and Toney moved to third. Wotten grounded out to Gasco to end the inning.

Trine could not get a runner past first base in their final two at-bats as Adrian won for the 22nd time this season. Katie Adams went 2-for-3 with a triple and walk in game one.

Eberhardt might have started to show signs of fatigue as game two got underway as she fought through the first five innings and kept her team in the game. Trine scored three runs in the top of the first and added single runs in the second and third to build a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the third. Adrian left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first but did score a run as Kloster had a RBI single. The Bulldogs added their second run in the second as Adams had a RBI triple with one out.

Trailing 5-2 after two and a half, Adrian erupted for six runs in the bottom of the third to take a 8-5 lead. Adams had another big hit with a two-RBI double. Meghan Stevens also had a two-RBI double in the inning and Kloster recorded two singles including an RBI base hit.

Trine cut the lead to 8-6 in the top of the fifth but the Bulldogs got the run right back to make it 9-6. Adams scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Jami Shafley got her first save of the year pitching the final two innings. She allowed two hits in the sixth and one more in the seventh but kept the Thunder off the scoreboard. Shafley struck out three and preserved the win for Eberhardt.

Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBI's in game two. She is now hitting .439 this season. Hein was 2-for-3 with a run. Stevens had a pair of hits and Kloster went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI's.

Adrian and Hope are currently tied based on winning percentage (.750) for second in the MIAA. Adrian is 9-3 while Hope is 6-2 after a split with Saint Mary's on Wednesday. The two teams have a key doubleheader on Saturday at the AC Softball Field starting at 1 p.m. which will separate the contenders from the pretenders.