TIGERS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST TRINITY CHRISTIAN

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The RV Olivet Nazarene University softball team opened Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) action welcoming the Trinity Christian College Trolls to Tiger Field for a doubleheader on a chilly Monday afternoon.  The Tigers took game one in walk-off fashion, 10-9 in eight innings, before defeating the Trolls in game two, 4-2. 

Game One: RV ONU 10, TCC 9 F/8

Head coach Hannah Gardner gave the ball to Kori Fricke to start game one. Fricke went 6.2 innings and Emily Blucker finished off the game going the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and struck out two.   

The Tigers found themselves down early after the Trolls hit a three-run home run in the top of the first. ONU closed the gap in the bottom of the inning.  After Matti Lanie singled and later found herself at third, Haley Dobson singled and platted Lanie making the score, 3-1.  The Tigers then took the lead in the second inning.  After Fricke walked and Kate Landis doubled, Olivia Flinn singled up the middle and drove in both runners.  Later in the inning, Dobson picked up her second RBI of the game on sacrifice fly making the score, 4-3.  Megan Mann then put the icing on the cake and smacked a three-run homer over the right field fence.  The Tigers led 7-3. 

The Trolls closed the gap with four runs in two innings and tied the game at seven all.  The Tigers then regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Kate Landis hit a two-run single to make the score, 9-7.  Trinity Christian knotted the ballgame at nine apiece after they rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning.  After ONU did not scoring in the bottom of the seventh, the two teams went into extra innings. 

After the Trolls went down in the eighth, the Tigers had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the inning.  Mann singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on sacrifice bunt by Allie Timm.  After Fricke singled putting runners on first and third, Kate Landis grounded the ball to the first basemen but the throw was not in time at home as the Tigers walked off and won the first game of the series, 10-9. 

Game Two: RV ONU 4, TCC 2

The Tigers went with Blucker to start game two and she went the distance and surrendered two runs on 10 hits, and struck out four.  Blucker earned her fourth win of the season. 

The Tigers found themselves down again early on as the Trolls struck for a run in the first and the fourth innings making the score, 2-0.  The Tigers cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Kailyn Ngo.  The Tigers still trailed 2-1.  The Tigers then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth.  After the bases were loaded with one out, Vannah Vaughan scored on a passed ball tying the game at two.  Kate Landis then gave the Tigers the lead on a sacrifice fly and Fricke added an RBI single which made the score, 4-2. 

The Tigers saw solid pitching from Blucker and timely offense as ONU swept the doubleheader winning game two, 4-2. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The RV Tigers have a quick turnaround as they host the Lakers of Roosevelt University for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 5th starting at 3 p.m.  Roosevelt will be the home team for both games. 

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu