CLINTON, Iowa - Playing their sixth game in three days, the Ashford University softball team split with visiting Trinity Christian College on Monday afternoon, falling in game one 3-2 (nine innings) before being victorious 9-4 in the finale.

Sophomore Lindsey Thornton of Clinton made the most out of her starting role, connecting for three hits in game one to pace the Saints (11-25).

The Trolls (12-27) got on the board first with a run in the top of the second inning when a single by Syerra Niday scored Nicole Stuczynski to put Trinity Christian out in front, 1-0.

Ashford responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the third inning to know the game at 1-1. The leadoff batter, sophomore Katlyn Akers of Orion, Ill., walked and would advance to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kimberly Samples of Bolingbrook, Ill. A single by sophomore Janelle Schroeder of Wheeling, Ill., would put runners on the corners, and Akers would come home on a Nichole Salazar groundout.

The Trolls would get a run back in their half of the fifth inning when Niday scored on a sacrifice fly by Mary Jones to take the lead back at 2-1. Trinity Christian would leave the bases full of Trolls in the inning, as Saints starting pitcher junior Kendra Roth of Salem, S.D., forced an inning-ending groundout.

Down by a run, the Saints would collect four hits in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2. With the bases loaded, senior Whitney Bauer of DeWitt singled to center field to plate Samples.

Game one would go into extra innings when the score was still stalled at 2-2 after seven innings before Trinity Christian's Kendra VanderSluis scored off of a throwing error by the Saints.

The Saints bats would come alive in game two, highlighted by a two-run home run by Salazar to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the second innings.

Bauer doubled in the bottom of the third inning and advanced to third on a groundout by senior Jessie Rosenow of Erie, Ill. Starter Nicole Woodard of Carbon Cliff, Ill., helped her own cause with an RBI single to plate Bauer to put the Saints ahead 4-1.

Ashford would add runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 6-1 lead heading into the sixth inning.

The Saints added insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. After back to back singles by sophomore Janelle Schroeder and Bauer, Rosenow continued her recent offensive display with a three-run home run over the center-field fence to put the Saints ahead 9-4.

Senior Alisha Parker of Camanche would take over the pitching mound to close out game two. The Trolls put two runners on base before Jones grounded out to sophomore Cara Harmon of Westfield, Ind., to end the game.