NCAA Division III Softball Championships Website    |    NCAA Division III Bracket

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Illinois Wesleyan softball team was upended by St. John Fisher by a final score of 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championships on Friday, May 26 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Freshman second baseman Shelby Fulk provided an offensive spark for IWU, hitting 2-for-3 at the dish with an RBI double in the sixth inning to bring home the Titans' lone run of the evening.

Postgame Press Conference, IWU vs. St. John Fisher
 
With the loss the Titans fall to 37-14 on the season while the Cardinals improved to 43-6. Illinois Wesleyan will move to the top half of the elimination bracket and face No. 1-ranked Virginia Wesleyan College (49-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Marlins stayed alive by defeating Trine earlier on Friday by a 2-0 score.
 
Both sides were held scoreless through the first three innings of play. It was St. John Fisher who struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning when Sarah Kubik scored on a single to rightfield off the bat of Geneveive Paeglow.
 
Illinois Wesleyan started to figure out pitcher Lindsey Thayer (30-2) in the sixth inning as freshman leftfielder Sydney Alery sent a high-flying ball to deep left field off the fence for a triple. After freshman shortstop Sam Berghoff drew a walk, Fulk doubled home Alery to tie the game at 1-1. Unfortunately for the Titans, St. John Fisher's Thayer induced two groundouts to end the IWU threat.
 
The Cardinals threatened to score in the bottom portion of the sixth, but a lineout double-play to sophomore first baseman Julie Josten ended the inning.
 
After junior Stephanie Prentice drew a one-out walk in the seventh, sophomore centerfielder Jillian Runyon singled to keep the momentum going for IWU. Runyon finished the game 2-for-4 from the plate. Despite a flyout from Alery advancing the runners into scoring position, the Titans were unable to score the go-ahead run. St. John Fisher scored on an error to end the game in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Freshman Brea Walker (17-5) provided the Titans with a strong pitching performance, tossing 6 2/3 innings while allowing no earned runs and five hits, all singles. Walker struck out four Cardinal batters in the process. Thayer, who pitched a no-hitter in Thursday's NCAA first round, allowed six hits and one earned run over seven innings with 12 strikeouts. The six hits allowed by Thayer are the most she has allowed in a game all season prior to Friday and the 10 base runners were also the most surrendered by Thayer this season.
 
What's Next?
The Titans will face No. 1-ranked Virginia Wesleyan in a must-win game on Saturday, May 27 at 1 p.m. from Integris Field. The game was moved up three hours tp avoid potentially bad weather Saturday in Oklahoma City.

After losing in the first round to No. 4-ranked Texas-Tyler, the Marlins defeated Trine by a final score of 2-0 on Friday. The loser of Saturday's game will be eliminated from competition. Go here for live stats and streaming for Saturday's game.