ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Senior Colleen Palczynski (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) and freshman Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) each homered twice to lead the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team to a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin sweep of Augustana College Sunday afternoon, April 10. IWU, which has won 11 in-a-row, jumped to 16-7 on the season and now sits at 4-0 in league play. Augie dropped to 13-8 on the season and 1-3 in CCIW games.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 7, Augustana 2
The Vikings plated a run on a RBI single in the bottom of the first, but the Titans responded with Khoury's solo shot to even the score at one all through one and a half. 

Augie answered with a solo homerun of its own in the second, but IWU came right back in the third. Sophomore Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) led off with a walk before an error put runners on the corners with one out for junior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood). Moore hit a deep fly ball to center to bring in Turner from third, and senior Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) tacked on another run with a RBI double to left. 

Leading 3-2 into the fifth, Illinois Wesleyan broke the game open. Junior Mikayla Fairfield (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) and sophomore Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) notched back-to-back singles to open the frame. A wild pitch scored one, and a three-run homer off the bat of Palczynski pushed the Titan lead to 7-2. 

Junior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) took it from there, stranding one in both the fifth and sixth innings, before tossing a 1-2-3 seventh to wrap up the victory. 

Mardjetko tossed all seven innings for the Green and White, yielding two runs on five hits, while striking out seven. She improved to 5-4 in the circle this season with the win. 

Offensively, IWU outhit Augie, 8-5, including a 3-1 edge in extra-base hits. Palczynski finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Khoury went 2-for-3 with her solo homer. Fairfield also tallied multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

Game Two: Augustana 4, Illinois Wesleyan 6
Game two saw several early lead changes, as an error made way for the game's first run to put IWU up, 1-0, after one. 

After the Vikings homered to even the score in the second, Khoury belted her second of the day to reclaim a 2-1 Titan advantage into the third. 

Augie pounced for two runs on three hits in the third to climb back on top, 3-2. A one-out single was followed by a double, putting two in scoring position for the Vikings' Claire Weeks, who ripped a two-run, two-out single to center. 

After Turner escaped the inning with a popup, Fairfield jump started the offense. Battling through an eight-pitch at bat, Fairfield singled to left to leadoff IWU's half of the third. After Fontanetta reached via error, Earl singled to right to load the bases for Palczynski with one out. The senior slugger capitalized on the RBI situation, as she blasted a 1-1 offering over the right field fence to propel Illinois Wesleyan to a 6-3 lead.

Augustana appeared ready to take back the lead once again in the fourth. A leadoff single scored on a fielder's choice, but junior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) entered in relief to pitch the Titans out of the jam and strand two. Thwarting the Augie threat with a groundout, Grubczak sent the game to the bottom of the fourth with IWU in front, 6-4.

Grubczak allowed just one base runner the rest of the way as the Titans came away with a 6-4 win. 

Fairfield went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored as IWU and Augie recorded five hits each. Palczynski's grand slam highlighted a 1-for-3 effort that included four RBIs. She now sits at 27 career homers, with four this season.

Grubczak picked up the win, tossing 3.2 hitless innings in relief. She fanned three and walked one in relief of Turner. 

The Green and White take a break from CCIW play for a twin bill against non-conference foe DePauw University, Tuesday, April 12. First pitch between the Titans and ninth-ranked Tigers is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Inspiration Field.