NEW PARIS — On a day that was cold, windy, and even had some hail, National Trail’s softball team battled through the elements and came up with two big wins against Fort Recovery on Saturday, April 2.
Payten Laird got the win in the first game, allowing just four hits, walking three and striking out four en route to a 25-4 win.
As a team, Trail collected 20 hits in the first game, led by freshman Bobbi Grimes, who was 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
Ariel Lee was 4-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases.
Kylee Aldridge was 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Aleah Hunt went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI.
Kaitlyn Morgan added a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Kerestin Nugent, Kayleigh Minner, Payten Laird, and Alexus Acton all added base hits.
Elizabeth Glander got the win in the circle for the second game. Glander struck out seven, walked 12 and allowed 10 hits with Gracie Jones behind the plate, for a 23-11 win.
Offensively, Trail continued its hot streak as it recorded 19 hits.
Leading the team was Hannah Dixon, going 3-for-5 with a pair of triples and five RBI. Alexus Acton also went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.
Hunt went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Aldridge added a pair of hits with three RBI and Nugent went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Lee, Jones, Morgan, and Glander all added base hits.
With the wins, Trail improved to 3-1.
The Blazers got their first win of the season on Wednesday, March 30, as they jumped out to an early lead on Mississinawa Valley and captured a 13-3 victory at home.
The game was decided quickly as the Blazers scored 12 runs in the first three innings.
Laird got the win for the Blazers. She allowed a run over 4 1/3 innings. She struck out three, walked none and surrendered five hits.
The Blazers had another successful day at the plate all the way around racking up 15 hits.
Leading the team was Acton (3-for-4) with a home run, double, single with four RBI.
Laird was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Nugent went 2-for-3 with a triple.
Hunt, Aldridge, and Ariel Lee all added two base hits each. Grimes also added a base hit.
In its season opener, the Blazers suffered a 5-2 setback at Franklin-Monroe on Tuesday.
After falling behind 3-0 after one inning, Trail got on the board with a pair of runs in the second. F-M, however, added single runs in the third and sixth for the final margin.
Trail recorded seven hits on the night. Leading the Blazers offensively was Jones, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Grimes added a double, while Minner, Aldridge, Nugent, and Lee each added singles.
Trail was scheduled to host and will host Hagerstown (Indiana) Monday, April 4 and travel to Newton on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Blazers are to host Union City (Indiana), before hosting Tri-Village on Thursday and Carlisle on Friday to close out the week.
