ELMHURST, Ill. -- After winning game one by a score of 10-2, the No. 8-ranked Illinois Wesleyan softball team pulled out the brooms to sweep host Elmhurst in game two by a score of 7-2 at Salt Creek Field in Elmhurst on Sunday, April 17th.
IWU is now 23-5 on the season and in sole posession of second place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin at 7-2 while the Bluejays fell to 12-14 overall and 2-6 in the CCIW.
In game one, Illinois Wesleyan never trailed, scoring in every inning but the first. A
Maggie Graham double brought home
Cassidy Tarpey to give IWU a 1-0 lead in the top of the second before a
Taylor Marvin RBI single allowed the Titans to reclaim the lead in the top of the third. Leading 2-1 in the fourth, back-to-back RBI singles would give IWU a 4-1 lead to go with a single run in the fifth. The Titans closed the game strong, scoring three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh, including a
Danielle Smith two-run home run in the sixth.
Nine players collected a hit in the game, led by a game-high four hits from Gudat, who also had three runs batted in. Senior
Mary Rankin was 3-ffor-5 while freshman
Jillian Runyon scored three runs.
Starting pitcher
Jenna Noland allowed just two runs on two hits in six innings of work, improving to 10-2 on the season. Junior
Alie Tarrant threw the final inning of the game, not allowing a baserunner.
Game two saw the Titans jump out to a 7-0 lead after two innings of play and never look back, giving up both Bluejay runs in the final inning. The Titans did all of their damage in the first inning with two outs, taking advantage of an Elmhurst error as
Julie Josten singled home the first two runs of the game before
Katie Caulfield would be issued a bases-loaded walk to bring in Marvin. In the next inning, Illinois Wesleyan scored all four runs on home runs with Smith blasting a three-run shot to left field before Josten smacked a solo homer to center field two batters later.
Josten's three RBI led the Titans as the freshman finished 2-for-3 at the plate with Runyon, Gudat and Smith collecting the other Titan hits.
Sophomore
Mackenzie Marquis started the game on the mound, throwing a perfect first two innings before Tarrant would toss the final five innings of the game to earn the victory.
What's Next?
A non-conference home clash awaits Illinois Wesleyan, who will host Wisconsin-Whitewater for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19th. The Warhawks are 18-9 overall and have won seven of their last nine with the lone losses coming at the hands of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
