SALEM, Va. — Seventh-seeded Belhaven lost to No. 2 seed Trine 7-5 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Softball Finals Thursday evening at the Moyer Complex.
The Blazers, who dropped to 42-11 overall, brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning but could not complete the rally. Belhaven will face No. 6 seed Mount Union in an elimination game Friday at 5:30 p.m. CST. Trine, which improved to 39-6, advances in the winner’s bracket.
Trine scored early, with a leadoff double and an RBI triple in the bottom of the first. An RBI double extended the lead to 3-0 before the Blazers responded in the second inning. Lauren Dunbar singled in a run, and an error allowed another to score, cutting the deficit to 5-1.
Debbie Hill hit a two-run home run in the second to make it 5-3. Belhaven kept fighting, with Grace Langston and Reagan Bryan reaching base in the third. An RBI single by Steverson brought the Blazers within two, but Trine maintained its lead.
Junior pitcher Karley Rouse held Trine scoreless in the third and fourth innings, working through traffic and limiting further damage. The Thunder added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth, extending their lead to 7-3.
Belhaven mounted a late rally in the seventh. Maryanna Guy doubled in a run, and Melissa Lopera delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 7-5. The Blazers had runners on second and third with two outs but could not complete the comeback.
Steverson led the offense with three hits, including a double and two RBIs. Langston added two hits and scored twice. Rouse pitched six innings, allowing four runs, three earned, while keeping Belhaven in the game.
The Blazers will try to extend their season Friday against Mount Union. A win would keep their championship hopes alive, while a loss would end their run.
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