BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The No. 12-ranked Illinois Wesleyan softball team found themselves in an early deficit and never could recover in a 6-2 defeat at home against DePauw at the IWU softball field in Bloomington on Monday, May 2. 

IWU is now 27-8 overall with two regular season games left to play while the Tigers improved to 25-13.

DePauw strung together three hits in the top of the first including a two-out two-run single to take a 2-0 lead before senior shortstop Sam Gudat blasted a solo home run to left center field in the bottom half of the frame to cut the Titan deficit to 2-1 after one.

The game stayed 2-1 until the top of the fifth inning when the Tigers opened up the game by scoring three runs on two hits and three hits to go along with one hit-by-pitch with all three runs scoring again with two outs. Illinois Wesleyan was able to plate one run in the bottom half of the inning with the run coming on a double steal allowing sophomore Maggie Graham to score. A solo home run for DePauw made the game 6-2 in the top of the sixth as Emma Baldwin, DePauw's third pitcher of the game, threw a hitless final 2 1/3 innings to shut down the Titans. 

Freshman Jillian Runyon recorded two of IWU's five hits in the game, with Gudat, Laura Bonds and Taylor Marvin earning the other Titan hits. Runyon also swiped three bags in the game to add to her single-season school record of 38. 

Sophomore starter Mackenzie Marquis was tagged for five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings before making way for junior Alie Tarrant who threw the final 2.1 innings, allowing only one run on a solo home run. 

What's Next?
IWU closes out the regular-season with a home doubleheader against the University of Chicago at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3. The doubleheader is "Seniors Day" as six Titan seniors (Mary Rankin, Sam Gudat, Laura Bonds, Cassidy Tarpey, Jenna Noland, and Danielle Smith) will be honored in their last regularly-scheduled home games of the year. Chicago is 23-6 on the year following two 1-0 victories at Wheaton last Friday.