Pride split road doubleheader with Trinity Christian

AURORA, Ill. - Four was the magic number for the Clarke University softball team on Friday morning as the Pride split their doubleheader against Trinity Christian College, winning game one 4-3 and dropping the finale 7-4.

Game one was highlighted by a strong pitching performance from Paige Pyszka in her 2024 debut as she started the day's opener and got all but the final two outs to pick up her first win of the season as she went 6.1 innings allowing three earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Offensively, CU outhit the Trolls 9-8 led by three of the top four in the lineup all having two-hit games as Lily King and Elizabeth Leverton both went 2-for-4 with a run scored out of the 1-2 spots and cleanup hitter Emma Hodnet also finished 2-for-4 with an RBI as three-hole hitter Kaylie Holtam didn't record a hit but drove in two runs on two separate ground outs in the fifth and seventh innings.

The finale was a more offensive affair with the two teams combining for 26 hits as Trinity Christian was able to break through against the Clarke pitching, scoring runs in four out of their six offensive innings including a three-run third and a two-run fifth.

After getting the final two outs for her first collegiate save in the opener, Meredith Gatto got the final six outs in the finale as she was the second pitcher out of the CU bullpen, going two innings, allowing three hits and walking one while finishing with four strikeouts.

This time, Holtam led the Pride with a three-hit game while also driving in another run as King and Alicia Casas also had two-hit games in the finale as Casas reached base in three of her four trips to the plate, getting the call to catch in game two.

Clarke had plenty of opportunities to cash in on offense throughout the day, stranding a total of 19 runners on base throughout the two games compared to just 14 left on base for the Trolls as game two saw CU only able to score one run in each of the four innings the produced runs in.

Pride softball will be on the road once again next weekend when they play a four-game series against Stephen College in Columbia, Mo. with a doubleheader on each day of Mar. 3-4 with first pitch of game one on each day scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT.