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Titans lose in NCAA opener
ANGOLA, Ind. -- Westminster College was dealt a 9-0, five-inning run-rule loss by defending Division III champion and fourth-ranked Trine University Thursday afternoon in an NCAA Div. III tournament game at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.
Trine, 40-3 this season, has won 14-straight games. On Friday, the Thunder will face Mount Union at 11 a.m. in the next round.
Westminster, in its first NCAA tournament appearance, falls to 25-12. The Titans will take on Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 1:30 p.m. today in the regional elimination game.
After registering a pair of runs in the second and three more in the third, Trine added four runs in the fourth inning to go up 9-0.
Graduate student left-hander Madison Brown, an East Liverpool High School graduate, fell to 11-7 this season with the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout in two innings. Freshman righty Natalie Davis of Boardman worked 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out one.
Mount moves on in NCAA tourney
ANGOLA, Ind. -- Mount Union's softball team beat No. 19 nationally ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point 9-0 in five innings in an NCAA Tournament matchup on Thursday afternoon.
The Purple Raiders (33-8) struck first with a four-run first inning as sophomores Faith Kiko and Minerva High School graduate Lydia Brunner drew back-to-back walks to bring in the first two runs, then sophomore Kaitlyn Culver got hit by a pitch to bring in the third and an error by the shortstop would allow Kiko to score the fourth run of the inning.
Mount Union would add to their lead in the top half of the second inning when Kiko hit an RBI single that brought in sophomore Faith Reicosky to make the lead 5-0. Then, in the third inning, sophomore Sydney Mercer, a West Branch graduate, hit an RBI single that brought in Culver to stretch the lead to six runs. The Raiders added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning, the first coming off an RBI single from Brunner and then sophomore Brooklyn Schlabach hit a two RBI single to make the lead 9-0.
Sophomore Kendyll Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union, she threw a complete game shutout giving up just two hits and striking out four.
The Raiders will take on No. 4 Trine tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Angola, Ind.
Home runs fuel Bucco win
CHICAGO (AP) -- Edward Olivares and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Thursday night.
Olivares hit a two-run homer in the first inning. He also doubled and scored in the sixth against Justin Steele (0-1) to make it 5-3.
Gonzales hit a solo drive in the fourth, and Jared Jones (3-4) struck out seven in six solid innings. Colin Holderman gave up a sacrifice fly to Christopher Morel in the eighth, but the Pirates opened the four-game series on a winning note after losing six of eight. They dropped two of three to the Cubs in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Jones was charged with three runs and seven hits. The 22-year-old right-hander has gone at least five innings and allowed three runs or fewer in each of his nine career starts.
Aroldis Chapman worked the seventh. Holderman hit Seiya Suzuki in the left arm leading off the eighth and catcher Yasmani Grandal threw wildly to first after fielding Cody Bellinger's roller, putting runners on second and third. Morel then cut it to 5-4 with a sacrifice fly before Ian Happ struck out. Michael Busch walked, but Nick Madrigal grounded out to end the inning.
David Bednar came on in the ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances.
The slumping Ian Happ hit a solo homer for Chicago in the second after being held out of the previous two games.
Steele, coming off a shaky outing at Pittsburgh on Saturday, gave up five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one in his third start back from a strained left hamstring.
Home runs fuel Bucco win
CHICAGO (AP) -- Edward Olivares and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Thursday night.
Olivares hit a two-run homer in the first inning. He also doubled and scored in the sixth against Justin Steele (0-1) to make it 5-3.
Gonzales hit a solo drive in the fourth, and Jared Jones (3-4) struck out seven in six solid innings. Colin Holderman gave up a sacrifice fly to Christopher Morel in the eighth, but the Pirates opened the four-game series on a winning note after losing six of eight. They dropped two of three to the Cubs in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Jones was charged with three runs and seven hits. The 22-year-old right-hander has gone at least five innings and allowed three runs or fewer in each of his nine career starts.
Aroldis Chapman worked the seventh. Holderman hit Seiya Suzuki in the left arm leading off the eighth and catcher Yasmani Grandal threw wildly to first after fielding Cody Bellinger's roller, putting runners on second and third.
Morel then cut it to 5-4 with a sacrifice fly before Ian Happ struck out. Michael Busch walked, but Nick Madrigal grounded out to end the inning.
David Bednar came on in the ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances.
The slumping Ian Happ hit a solo homer for Chicago in the second after being held out of the previous two games.
Steele, coming off a shaky outing at Pittsburgh on Saturday, gave up five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one in his third start back from a strained left hamstring.