BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team saw its win streak snapped at 11 games as the Titans (16-9, 4-0 CCIW) dropped a non-conference doubleheader to ninth-ranked DePauw University Tuesday, April 12, at Inspiration Field. The Tigers (20-6) topped the Titans by scores of 3-2 and 2-1.
Game One: No. 9 DePauw 3, Illinois Wesleyan 2
The Tigers took the lead in the first, but the Titans picked a runner off to limit the damage.
DePauw appeared primed to expand its lead in the fourth, but senior catcher Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) tossed out a runner to clear the bases before senior
Madie Monk (Manteno, Ill.-Manteno) ended the threat with a strikeout.
Illinois Wesleyan broke through in the fifth, as freshman Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) blooped a double into the wind to leadoff the inning with IWU's first hit of the game. Freshman Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) followed with a rope down the left field line, scoring Kuhn and evening the game at 1-1.
DePauw reclaimed the lead with a solo homerun in the sixth and used a sacrifice fly to gain a crucial insurance run as the Tigers led, 3-1 with IWU coming to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Kuhn cranked a solo shot to left to cut the deficit to one, 3-2, with one out. Khoury walked to bring the winning run to the plate, but the Green and White comeback effort fell short, 3-2.
Monk put together a masterful performance against the nationally-ranked Tigers. The senior righty tossed a complete game, striking out a career-high eight, while allowing five hits.
Kuhn paced the offense, as she went 2-for-3 with a double and homer. DePauw recorded five hits to Illinois Wesleyan's three.
Game Two: No. 9 DePauw 2, Illinois Wesleyan 1
DePauw jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning once again, making the most of a leadoff single. The game-opening baserunner came around to score on a two-out single to push the Tigers ahead, 1-0.
Illinois Wesleyan had base runners in each of the first four innings, but was unable to capitalize, allowing DePauw to maintain its one-run edge into the fifth.
With runners on second and third and just one out, an outstanding defensive play by Kuhn at shortstop doubled up the Tigers and ended the inning. Kuhn made a lunging snag on a sure-hit liner and quickly flipped to third to double up the runner, keeping the deficit at 1-0 into the bottom of the frame.
The Titans stranded another runner in the fifth before DePauw smacked a solo blast to double its lead, 2-0, into the bottom of the sixth.
Illinois Wesleyan pushed a run across in the bottom of the sixth, as Kuhn and Khoury led the charge with back-to-back singles. Sophomore Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) followed with an RBI knock up the middle to drive in Kuhn and pull the Titans within one, 2-1. IWU could not muster anymore, as the Green and White stranded two to send the game to the seventh.
A huge defensive play by Turner kept the Tigers from a leadoff single, and junior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) finished off the inning with a fly out and strikeout to send IWU back to the plate down, 2-1.
Trailing by one, the Titans could not get anything going in the seventh as they dropped the nightcap, 2-1.
The Green and White finished with eight hits to the Tigers' six. Khoury and sophomore Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) each went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Turner picked up an RBI.
Grubczak turned in a strong outing in the circle, keeping the Tiger offense off-balance for much of the game. The Medinah, Ill. native fanned a season-high 10 over seven innings of work without yielding a walk.
Illinois Wesleyan is back in action Saturday, April 16, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader against Carroll University. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will serve as IWU's Mental Health Awareness game.
