DECATUR, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team edged top-seeded Millikin University Saturday, May 7, on the second day of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament at MU's Workman Family Softball Complex. IWU (26-13) plated two runs in the seventh inning top take down Millikin (32-6), 2-0.
 
Junior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) threw a complete game for the Green and White, holding the CCIW's top offense to just one hit over seven innings. The Titan defense aided Grubczak to her third shutout of the season with timely web-gem worthy plays.
 
Millikin looks poised to jump on top of the Titans in the third, as the Big Blue leadoff batter reached on a bloop-single to right. With the next batter looking to lay down a sacrifice bunt, sophomore catcher Hope Yeoman (Lafayette, Ind.-William Henry Harrison) had other plans. Yeoman worked around a missed bunt attempt and threw out the runner at second to keep the game scoreless into the fourth.
 
Neither team mustered another hit until the top of the seventh, where senior Colleen Palczynski (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) singled through the left side to leadoff the frame. Freshman Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia), who had come up with several key plays at first base, belted a double to the fence to put two in scoring position. After a quality at bat by Yeoman resulted in a walk to load the bases, Grubczak helped her own cause with a run-scoring groundout. Sophomore Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) tacked on an insurance run with her grounder to propel IWU ahead, 2-0.
 
The bottom of the seventh got interesting as two walks put two on with two away for the Big Blue, but Grubczak did not waver. The junior hurler induced a game-ending grounder to Khoury at first to preserve the 2-0 victory.
 
With the win, IWU advances to Sunday's CCIW Tournament Championship. Illinois Wesleyan will face the winner of tonight's game between Millikin and North Central tomorrow, May 8, at 11 a.m.