Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA VERNE, Calif. – The Trinity University softball team opened its 2026 season with a doubleheader sweep on the road against the University of La Verne (CA) on Friday night.

The Tigers (2-0) won the opener 8-2 over the Leopards (0-4) and then held on for a 10-6 victory in game two. Trinity had double-digit hits in both games and finished with six innings with multiple runs on offense.

Josephine Koelewyn (Reno, Nev. / Academy of Arts Careers and Technology) earned the win in both games to collect a 2-0 record to start the season. She pitched 6.2 total shutout innings, giving up six hits and striking out three batters. After going 4.1 innings as the game one starter, she came on to pitch the final 2.1 innings of game two, allowing just one hit and striking out two batters – including the final batter of the doubleheader to seal the sweep.

Ella Whitacre (Dallas, Texas / Byron Nelson) was red-hot to start the season, going 7-9 overall with four runs scored, three RBI, and six stolen bases. She opened the year with a career-high four hits in a 4-for-5 performance, then had three more hits in the second half of the twinbill. Samantha Tagawa (Agoura Hills, Calif. / Agoura) tallied three hits and three RBI in the two games, while Hannah Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) added three RBI as well. Carsyn Lee (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) finished with three hits in the two wins as well. Jordan Arce (Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Thousand Oaks) scored three runs in the opening game, while Angela Baltzell (Antioch, Calif. / Freedom) drove in three runs in game two.

The Rundown, Game 1
After a slow start on offense, Koelewyn induced an inning-ending double play to fire up the Tigers after the first inning of the season. The response was a three-run second inning that put Trinity in front for good. Hayden Del Toro (Cypress, Texas / Cy Woods) walked and stole second to jump-start the inning, then came around to score on an error. Tagawa drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly, then the score went to 3-0 on another La Verne error.

Koelewyn held the Leopards offense in check throughout her time in the circle and the offense continued to add to the lead. Whitacre's leadoff single in the fourth led to another run when Boudreaux reached on a fielder's choice to make it 4-0. Mariana Garcia (Goodyear, Ariz. / Canyon View) then started off the fifth with a leadoff walk that led to a two-run inning for the Tigers. Sydney Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) had a pinch-hit single to open the scoring, then Baltzell drove in the second run of the inning to push the lead to 6-0.

Megan Kriechbaum (Cedar Hills, Utah / Pleasant Grove) relieved Koelewyn in the fifth, striking out the final two batters with the bases loaded to preserve the shutout. Neither team scored again until the seventh when Arce's one-out double helped load the bases with just one out. Tagawa brought in the first run of the inning with an infield single, then Boudreaux notched a sac fly to make it 8-0 with just three outs to go. La Verne brought in two runs on three hits and a Trinity error, but the Tigers still escaped with an easy win as Kriechbaum recovered from a rocky start to the inning to take the win.

The Rundown, Game 2
Trinity opened the second game with five consecutive hits to put up three runs in the top of the first of game two. Boudreaux knocked in Whitacre for the first score of the game, then Lee singled to center to make it 2-0. Garcia capped the scoring with Trinity's fifth straight hit, then a double play halted the momentum. La Verne managed to bring in two runs in the bottom of the inning, but the Leopards left the bases loaded and the Tigers escaped with the 3-2 lead.

Fortunately, the offense continued to carry the day and added three more runs in the second and third innings to keep the pressure on. Baltzell knocked in a run after an error and a walk to start the inning, and then Whitacre drove in two more with a single of her own through the right side of the infield to make it 6-2. La Verne kept pace with three more runs in the bottom of the inning, and the lead was just 6-5 after two innings of play. A leadoff walk in the third for the Tigers opened the door for another big inning, resulting in a 9-5 lead. Baltzell drove in the opening run with another sac fly for Trinity, then Whitacre singled again to keep the scoring going. Tagawa finished with an RBI single before La Verne was able to limit the damage.

The Leopards got one run back in the bottom of the third, but the Tigers finally settled in and held the multi-run lead. Neither team scored in the next three innings and only an insurance run in the Trinity seventh changed the scoreboard the rest of the way. Baltzell tacked on the additional run on a sac fly as Del Toro cashed in on a leadoff walk. La Verne put a runner on by way of an error and doubled in the seventh, but the Tigers switched momentum for good by throwing out a runner at the plate to keep the game 10-6 in the end.

Up Next
Trinity closes its California road trip with a doubleheader against Whittier College (CA) tomorrow, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (PT). The Tigers will make their 2026 home debut on Sunday, February 22, with a doubleheader against Whitworth University (WA) that starts at noon.