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Box Score

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (May 13, 2010)-- Making the most of early opportunities, North Central College raced out to the early seven-run lead after two innings of play and staved off a late comeback attempt, defeating Trine University (Ind.), 8-6, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championships hosted by DePauw University.

22nd-ranked North Central (32-12) struck early piling on five runs in the opening inning off of just two hits. Mary Caron led off the inning, reaching base on a hit by pitch before advancing to second on a fielding error on an Erin Drennan sacrifice bunt. Laura Whitfield and Katie Pappa each drove in a run on sacrifice bunts before a Kelli Lofgren single to left field, plated Pappa for the frame's third run. A Laura Constantine single the next at-bat drove in two, pushing the Cardinals' lead to 5-0.

The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the second, scoring both off a Thunder fielding miscue. Caron led off the frame with a base hit to center field before scoring the next at-bat after Trine's right fielder misplayed the ball, allowing both Caron and hitter Drennan to score.

Trine (26-14) broke up North Central's shutout bid in the fourth with Cassie Byrd belting a solo shot over the left field fence, closing the gap to six before the Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own. Alyssa Rabulinski led off the inning by drawing a walk, advancing to third on a pair of sacrifice bunts before scoring on an RBI single by Lauren Schramm.

The Thunder continued to chip into the Cardinals' lead in the fifth, scoring a run before plating four in the sixth to pull within two runs. Sara Hivley led off the fifth for Trine with a triple to right field before scoring on a sacrifice fly. The Thunder led off the top of the sixth with back-to-back singles before a Lindsay Wise double to left center plated a run. Two more runs were scored courtesy of a groundout and a sacrifice fly before a Byrd single brought in an unearned run, pulling Trine to within two at 8-6.

Katie Crawford mowed down the side in order in the seventh, picking up her first save of the season to preserve the Cardinal victory.

Lyndsey Payne (13-4) picks up the win, tossing 5 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs before giving way to Crawford, who struck out one and yielded just one hit, recording the game's final four outs. Trine's Andi Gasco (13-7) was saddled with the loss, allowing just one earned run in the complete game effort.

Caron led the North Central offense, finishing two-for-two at the plate while scoring twice. Byrd was two-for-three with two RBIs for the Thunder while Hivley, Gasco and Rachel Wisman each collected a pair of hits as Trine out-hit the Cardinals 12 to five.

With the victory, North Central advances to take on fifth-ranked and top-seeded Ohio Northern University tomorrow at 2 p.m.