by Eva Dean Folkert

The Hope College softball team dropped two games on the road on Friday. 

Playing at Trine University, the Flying Dutch lost to the Adrian College Bulldogs in Game 1, 6-2, and then fell in Game 2 against the host Thunder, 8-5. 

Both games do not count in the official MIAA standings. Hope is now 6-2 overall and remains 2-0 in the league.

In the first game, the Flying Dutch fought back after Adrian went ahead 3-0 in the first inning.

Hope put two runs on the board in the top of second when senior catcher Morgann Kanouse (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) singled to score junior first baseman Kaelin Callow (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield HS) and when freshman centerfielder Peyton Benjamin (Eaton Rapids,, Mich./Eaton Rapids HS) hit a sacrifice-fly that sent freshman third baseman Grace Henry (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS) home. That put the score at 3-2, Adrian leading.

Kanouse recorded another RBI in the fourth inning when she doubled to centerfield to score Henry again and move the score to 4-3, still in Adrian's favor.

With two more runs by the Bulldogs in the bottom of the fifth, Adrian led 6-3.

Junior second baseman Arinn King (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS), pictured left, started a Hope rally in the top of the seventh with a leadoff home run down the leftfield line. It was her second homer of the season. That was all the offense the Flying Dutch could generate in their final at-bat, though.

Senior pitcher Megan Soderbloom (Dowagiac, Mich./Dowagiac HS) took the loss on the mound, going 4 1/3 innings while giving up 15 hits, six earned runs, and striking out two. Her record stands at 3-1 on the young season.

Junior Chloe Haskins (Brighton, Mich/Brighton HS) finished the last 1 2/3 innings of Game 1 on the mound by allowing just one hit and no runs while fanning two.

In Game 2, Hope again had to battle back from deficits.

Trine jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead, but the Flying Dutch leveled the score at 4-4 by the bottom of the third inning. In that inning, Soderbloom hit a two-RBI double, scoring senior shortstop Savannah Dixon and Benjamin, and then Callow tripled to score Soderbloom. 

A three-run fifth inning and one-run seventh inning by the Thunder was enough to seal their win over Hope.

Freshman pitcher Alaina Adams (Oak Creek, Wis./St. Thomas More HS) (3-1) went four innings in the loss, allowing seven earned runs and 10 hits while striking out two.

Junior Avery Slancik (Scotts, Mich./Vicksburg HS) came in in relief and pitched three innings, giving up two hits, one run and fanning three.

King's day at the plate was a .500 affair as she went 4-for-8 with a double and home run.

Callow was 4-for-7 on the day in the batter's box with a triple and 2 RBIs.

Hope is right back in action tomorrow, Saturday, March 27, with two games at Calvin University. The Flying Dutch play the Knights at 12 p.m. and Albion College at 2:00 p.m. Both games will again not count toward league standings.