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Kaylee Bowers doubles vs. Chicago
Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative
0
Chicago UCSB 4-7
9
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-7
Chicago UCSB
4-7
0
Final
9
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Chicago UCSB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 2 0 1 2 2 2 9 14 1

W: Mardjetko, Nina (4-4) L: Heffke, Paige (2-4)

Game Recap: Softball |

Hits Aplenty as Titans Cruise Past Chicago

Titans raise over $500 for St. Jude

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team began its home tournament with a 9-0 clobbering of University of Chicago Saturday afternoon, April 2, at Inspiration Field. The Titans extended their win streak to five straight and climbed to 10-7 on the season, while the Maroons dropped to 4-7 with the six-inning run-rule game.

As part of Titans Play for St. Jude, Illinois Wesleyan saw Dr. Sabina Kimrey throw out a celebratory first pitch to senior catcher and childhood cancer survivor Kaylee Bowers (Champaign, Ill.-Champaign Central). Bowers later doubled in a pinch hitting situation, the first extra base hit of her career, while also scoring a run in the win.

Senior Hayley Earl (Washington, Ill.-Washington) plated the first run of the game on a double to right center, and went on to score on senior Colleen Palczynski's (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) single.

IWU's 2-0 lead held until the bottom of the third, where the Green and White tacked on one run on three hits. Sophomore Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) led off the frame with a triple and crossed the plate on another RBI knock by Earl to extend the lead to 3-0.

Three more hits led to two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, as freshman Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and junior Mikayla Fairfield (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) began the inning with back-to-back hits. A beautifully executed sacrifice bunt by Fontanetta put runners on second and third for junior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood). Kuhn tagged on the Moore sacrifice fly, and Fairfield came home on Earl's duck snort single to right center to push the Green and White's advantage to 5-0 into the fifth.

Freshman Rylie Perry (Chesterfield, Mo.-Parkway Central) relieved junior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) in the top of the fifth. After making quick work of the first two batters, a hit by pitch and a walk put two on, but Perry worked her way out of the jam with a flyout. 

Bowers received a roar from the crowd in the bottom of the fifth, as she led the Titans off with a double to center as a pinch hitter. Junior Nora Adams (Chesterfield, Mo.-Nerinx Hall) followed with a single, and an error put runners on second and third for junior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) in a pinch hitting situation. After a sac fly by Grubczak scored one, Kuhn laced a double to center to up the lead to 7-0.

Earl finished off the game with a walk-off homerun after a single by Moore to secure the 9-0 victory in six innings.

Mardjetko picked up the win in the circle to improve to 4-4 on the season, as she tossed four shutout innings. The Lemont, Ill. native fanned five and allowed just two hits in the effort, while Perry threw two hitless frames with a strikeout.

Illinois Wesleyan erupted for 14 hits in the six-inning win, while Chicago finished with just two. Earl turned in a 4-for-4 showing at the plate that included five RBIs, two runs scored, and a homer. Kuhn went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Palczynski rounded out the multi-hit games at 2-for-3. 

IWU gets right back to it tomorrow, April 3, for day two of its home tournament. The Titans will take on University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 10 a.m. before taking on Chicago again at approximately 4:45 p.m.

 
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