BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team evened up its record at 7-7 on the season with a doubleheader sweep of Monmouth College Friday afternoon, March 25, at Inspiration Field. The Titans rolled past the Scots, 8-0, in five innings in their home opener and grabbed a 6-5 walk-off win in the second game. 

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 8, Monmouth 0 (5 inn.)
An outstanding performance at the plate by senior Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) and a strong relief outing from senior pitcher Madie Monk (Manteno, Ill.-Manteno) was more than enough for the Titans in a run-rule victory in game one. 

A solo homer by Earl got the scoring started in the bottom of the second. After a one-out triple by junior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood), Earl smoked a single to left to double the IWU lead. 

Monk, who entered in relief, went six up, six down to keep Illinois Wesleyan's 2-0 advantage intact into the bottom of the fifth.

The Green and White's offense exploded in the fifth, as freshman Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) led the inning off with a double. Two errors and a single extended the IWU edge to 3-0, and Moore's bases-loaded walk increased it to 4-0. Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded, Earl ended the game with her second homer of the day. The walk-off grand slam wrapped up the 8-0 Titan victory.

Earl went 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs and six RBI, as she accounted for half of IWU's hit total. Moore finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Monmouth was credited with just one hit. 

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 6, Monmouth 5
Monmouth charged ahead 4-1 through two and a half innings, but Illinois Wesleyan battled back. Kuhn came through with an RBI groundout in the fourth, and freshman Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) belted a monster three-run homerun in the sixth to push IWU ahead, 5-4, into the seventh.

A leadoff single came around to spurn the Titans as a groundout and an error set the Scots up for a game-tying sacrifice fly to knot the score at five all. 

Sophomore Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) doubled with one out in the seventh to put the winning run in scoring position, and moved into third on a fly out in foul territory down the right field line. Moore finished things off from there, putting a high fly ball into the swirling win in right for a walk-off single to propel IWU to a 6-5 victory. 

Illinois Wesleyan outhit Monmouth, 8-5, with junior Mikayla Fairfield (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) leading the way with a 2-for-4 effort. Also picking up a multi-hit game was Moore, who finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored. 

In the circle, junior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) picked up the win in relief after tossing the final five frames. She allowed two hits and two runs over five innings of work, while recording five strikeouts. 

IWU is back in action Sunday, March 27, at home for a doubleheader against Coe College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.