ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team could not keep pace with Trine University and Transylvania University Sunday, March 20, on the final day of the Pioneer Classic. IWU (4-6) saw its comeback fall short in a 6-5 setback to Trine (5-9). The Titans were then handed a 10-2 setback by Transy (9-6) in six innings.
Game One: Trine 6, Illinois Wesleyan 5
Senior Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) gave the Titans an early 1-0 edge with an RBI double in the top of the first. After back-to-back walks by sophomore
Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) and senior
Colleen Palczynski (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect), Earl split the gap in left center to score one.
Trine used two homers to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the second, before piling on three runs on two hits in the fifth. A hit by pitch was followed by a sac bunt and RBI double. A two-out home run then opened up Trine's advantage to 5-1 through four and a half innings of play.
Illinois Wesleyan cut into the lead in the bottom half of the fifth as Fontanetta got things going with a leadoff walk. She advanced to second on a foul flyout. Earl then traded places with the sophomore, whacking her second RBI double of the ball game to pull the deficit to 5-2 into the sixth.
Trine plated a crucial insurance run in the sixth. Setup by a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt, the Thunder used a one-out single to charge ahead, 6-2.
Junior Nora Adams (Chesterfield, Mo.-Nerinx Hall) led the Titans half of the sixth off with a pinch hit single, and freshman
Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) followed with a two-run homer to cut the Trine lead in half. A pitching change came on the heels of Kuhn's first career home run, but was followed by a solo shot by sophomore
Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) to pull IWU within one, 6-5.
Senior Madie Monk (Manteno, Ill.-Manteno), who entered in relief in the sixth, kept the Thunder in check in the seventh. A pair of strikeouts and popup sent the Titans to the bat rack one last time, trailing by one, 6-5.
Earl remained hot in the bottom of the seventh, coming through with a one-out single. She moved into second on an errant throw to put the game-tying run in scoring position, but a strikeout ended the comeback threat and snapped Illinois Wesleyan's win streak at four.
Earl paced the Titans with a 3-for-4 effort that included two RBI, while Kuhn went 2-for-2 with a homerun and two runs driven in. Overall, IWU and Trine tallied eight hits each.
Turner got the start in the circle and was sacked with the loss. She tossed five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, and struck out four. Monk threw the final two frames, fanning two, while allowing a run on two hits and a pair of walks.
Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 2, Transylvania 10 (6 inn.)
Things unraveled for the Green and White in its final game of the weekend, as Transy jumped out to a 8-0 lead. The Pioneers scored four runs on three hits in the first, and used two hits and an error to tack on four more in the second.
Illinois Wesleyan chipped away at the Transy lead in the third as junior Mikayla Fairfield (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) singled with two outs to kick start a rally. Fontanetta followed with a two-run homer, the first of her career. Palczynski walked and Moore singled, but the two out rally was stalled by a groundout to keep Transy in front, 8-2, through two and a half.
IWU appeared ready to capitalize with bases loaded and two outs, but the fourth-inning threat was thwarted. The Titans mustered just one base runner the rest of the way, as the Pioneers pushed two across home plate in the sixth to end the game, 10-2.
The Green and White finished with five hits to 10 by the Pioneers. Fairfield finished 1-for-1 with a run scored and two walks, while Fontanetta drove in two in a 1-for-2 showing at the plate.
Junior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) threw all 5.2 innings for IWU. She struck out a season-high six and dropped to 3-4 on the year.
The Titans finish out their season-opening roadtrip with a twin bill against Illinois College Tuesday, March 22. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Jacksonville, Ill. at IC's home field.
