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Hasty's grand slam powers CNU past Trine in NCAA final

Kaitlyn Hasty, a 3-time All-American hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, that helped propel the Captains to a 6-3 win over Trine on Monday.
Credit: CNU Athletics

SALEM, Va. — Senior first baseman Kaitlyn Hasty has become well known in NCAA Division III softball for her power hitting, leading the nation in home runs this year and setting a new Christopher Newport University career record for long balls. Monday afternoon, the three-time All-American hit perhaps the biggest of her career, a grand slam in the fifth inning, that helped propel the Captains to a 6-3 victory over Trine University.

The Captains, now 46-1 and riding their second 23-game winning streak of the season, captured the first game of a best-of-three final series with the Thunder at the Moyer Sports Complex. The teams will meet again Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m., and possibly again at 1:30 p.m. if necessary to decide the National Champion.

Hasty, from Chesapeake, turned the Memorial Day matinee in CNU's favor when she came to the plate with the bases full in the fifth inning with the game tied at 2-2. She crushed a 2-1 pitch from Trine starter Adrienne Rosey deep down the left field line, clearing the fence for her 19th home run of the season, and 53rd of her career. It was also Hasty's first dinger since May 6th when she went deep against Salisbury in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Captains Park.

"It feels great, it was special," Hasty said following the CNU victory. "This year has been so much more than just personal records, this year from the start has been about making team history. We've got so many great hitters in this lineup, I'm more than happy to walk down to first base and let them drive me in."

Keith Parr's squad again got great pitching from freshman starter Jamie Martin, who matched up with Rosey in a tight contest until Hasty's big fly. Martin threw five innings, allowed just two unearned runs on four hits, and struck out eight while not walking anyone. The National Freshman of the Year improved her record on the season to 21-1 with the victory. Fellow freshman Kate Alger hurled the final two frames, allowing a run but holding the Thunder at bay.

"Another great game," Parr said following the victory. "Trine has been playing phenomenal softball, and it took some big plays for us to win. The balance we have in our lineup is so big for us, and it helped us get to the point that Kaitlyn could step up and do her thing."

The Captains and Thunder hit the field on a sunny and hot day at Moyer, with temperatures reaching the upper 80's during the action. CNU scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning when a throwing error allowed senior Natalie Carmichael to charge home from third to make it 1-0 CNU. Trine jumped ahead thanks to two unearned runs in the top of the fourth, as Scarlett Elliott dropped a bunt base hit to score Taylor Murdock to tie the game at 1-1. The Thunder took the lead when Emma Beyer singled down the left field line to plate Elliott with the go-ahead run, 2-1.

Christopher Newport opened the big fifth inning when senior Caroline Helmer singled to center. Carmichael then reached base on a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by the Thunder, and senior Sarah Proctor followed by also delivering a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. After Rosey notched a strikeout, she faced senior Caitlin Abernethy, and the two staged an impressive battle. Abernethy ran the count full and eventually took ball four to bring home pinch-runner Kensley Hess to make it 2-2. Rosey bounced back after issuing the base on balls to record the second out of the inning on a foul pop up...but Hasty was next to the plate, and the stage was set for the dramatic grand slam.

The Captains have relied heavily all year on the long ball, and Hasty's blast was the 74th team home run this season, most in the nation and most ever by a CNU squad in a season Just a day earlier, the Captains walked off with a triumph thanks to a ninth-inning shot off the bat of Brooke Greaver to oust Texas Lutheran University from the eight-team national final.

The loss for the Thunder snapped a 20-game Trine winning streak that dated back to April 19th. The Thunder are now 35-12, and Rosey's record fell to 16-8 with the loss. A crowd of 414 watched the Captains position themselves just one win away from their first National Championship in the 38-year history of the program.

Christopher Newport opened the 2022 season by winning its first 23 games, the longest winning streak ever by a Captains squad. After losing in the second game of a doubleheader at Averett on March 27th, CNU has now matched that streak again. CNU is playing in its 15th straight NCAA Tournament, and the Captains are playing in the finals for the third time, and first since 2011.

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