Linfield softball was eliminated from the championship chase Sunday, as Trine outlasted the Wildcats 10-9 in an intense NCAA Division III championship tournament game in Bloomington, Ill.
With the game tied 9-9 in the bottom of the eighth, Karley Trine drove in the winning run when her sacrifice fly scored Ainsley Phillips, ending the season for Linfield (45-7).
Linfield pitcher Tyler McNeley (32-4) pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and striking out five.
Though the afternoon had been a back-and-forth battle, Linfield appeared to have momentum on its side until late in the game.
Trine took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run homer. Linfield stormed back with five runs in the top of the third, powered by a two-run shot from Kaili Saathoff and a three-run blast by Ashlyn Aven.
Linfield built their lead to 7-4 in the fifth on a two-run home run from Cydney Hess. However, Trine quickly rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the frame on a two-RBI single to pull within striking distance at 7-6.
Claire Seats gave the Wildcats some breathing room with another two-run homer in the sixth to go up 9-6. But Trine refused to quit, tying the game in the seventh with a two-run homer and an RBI single.
Linfield’s extra-inning efforts weren’t enough to hold off unbeaten Trine, which advances to the championship series. The Thunder await the winner of Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon.
The best-of-three championship series takes place Tuesday and Wednesday.