BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan softball team found itself in pitchers' duels before finally awaking the bats awoke to give the Titans 3-1 and 6-3 wins over the University of Chicago at the IWU Softball Field in Bloomington on Tuesday, May 3. 

IWU ends their regular season with a 29-8 record while the Maroons fell to 23-8 with the losses. 

Senior starter Jenna Noland pitched a gem in game one, tossing a complete game while allowing just three hits and one run on a solo home run. 

Illinois Wesleyan never trailed in the game, taking advantage of three Chicago errors to plate all three of their runs. With two outs in the bottom of sixth, senior Danielle Smith drew a walk before Laura Bonds found her way on base via a Maroon error. Freshman Julie Josten then came through with an RBI single before an Amanda Lack walk and Cassidy Tarpey single drove in two more runs to give IWU a 3-0 lead. Chicago blasted a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but could muster no more runs to give the Titans two run victory. 

Runyon, Josten and Tarpey all led IWU with one hit in the game as Tarpey drove in two runs and Josten drove in one. 

Game two saw Chicago score a run in the top of the first on Kathleen Kohm's second solo home run of the day before Illinois Wesleyan tied the game in the bottom half of the frame on Danielle Smith's double to right center field. The Titans took the lead in the bottom of the third on RBI singles by Bonds and Lack to drive in Smith and Bonds. After Chicago tied the game at three in the top of the fifth , IWU scored three of their own in the bottom of the inning as Bonds led off with a solo home run to dead center field off the top of the fence and over before Josten blasted a solo shot to give IWU back-to-back homers to knock starting Maroon pitcher Molly Moran out of the game. Chicago would record only one more hit coming in the top of the seventh before a game-ending double-play gave the Titans the victory. 

Bonds went 3-for-4 in the game, reaching base all four times and driving in two runs while sophomore Maggie Graham drove in a run in her only plate appearance of the game with a double. Lack picked up two hits in the game and senior Mary Rankin had an RBI on a sacrifice fly in her first at-bat. 

Sophomore Mackenzie Marquis (14-5) earned the win in the circle, throwing five innings and giving up three runs while striking out two. Junior Alie Tarrant earned her first save of the year, tossing the last two innings of the game and giving up only one hit while facing the minimum number of batters. 
 
What's Next?
The CCIW softball tournament gets underway at the IWU Softball Field on Thursday, May 5, as the No. 1 seeded Titans will take on the No. 4 seed Carthage Lady Reds in game two at 2 p.m. Game one will feature No. 2 seed Wheaton vs. No. 3 seed North Central at 12 p.m. with the losers of games one and two squaring off in an elimination game at 4 p.m. and the winners facing each other at 6 p.m. Day two's action will startup at 10 a.m. on Friday ... Go here for the CCIW Tournament Website.