KENOSHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team put together a pair of gritty performances to sweep Carthage College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Friday, April 14, in Kenosha, Wis. IWU (13-10, 4-0 CCIW) rallied back to win 5-3 in game one, before earning a 12-5 triumph in game two to extend its win streak to nine. Carthage fell to 8-17, 3-5 in the CCIW with the setbacks.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 5, Carthage 3
Carthage struck first using a double and a two-run homer to take a 2-0 first-inning lead, before the Firebirds tacked on an insurance run in the fifth.

After five walks and one reaching via error, Illinois Wesleyan got its first hit of the game in the top of the sixth - a single by sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia). The base knock, which broke up Carthage's no-hit bid, pushed sophomore Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) to third as junior Priscilla Peek (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) came to the plate with runners on the corners and one out. Peek perfectly executed a squeeze, scoring Kuhn, to allow IWU to crack the scoring column and pull within two, 3-1. Representing the go-ahead run, freshman Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) came to the plate and drew a walk to load the bases, but a strikeout ended the threat.

A one-out single by senior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood) gave IWU life in the seventh as the tying run stepped to the plate. Kuhn followed with a poke up the middle. A lineout had the Titans down to their final out, but the rally was not done yet. Khoury blasted a no-doubt home run, her eighth of the season, to give IWU a 4-3 lead. Peek then reached on an error and junior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Post. Coming through in the clutch as she has throughout the season, Post singled to right to score one and up the Titan lead to 5-3 into the bottom of the seventh.

A leadoff bunt-single gave the Firebirds a chance in the seventh, but senior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) responded with a flyout and a groundout before slamming the door with a strikeout to preserve the come-from-behind win.

Khoury finished 2-for-3 in the game with three RBIs and a homer, while Carthage outhit IWU, 7-6. Mardjetko earned the win with her complete game performance, which featured seven strikeouts.

Game Two: Carthage 5, Illinois Wesleyan 12
The bats stayed hot in game two, as IWU pounced for three runs in the first inning. After a double by Kuhn, Khoury ripped a two-bagger of her own to bring in the game's first run. Peek piled it on, cranking a two-run dinger to left, to open up a 3-0 advantage into the second.

Kuhn, Khoury, and Peek once again got the Green and White's bats going in the third. Kuhn singled to leadoff the inning and Khoury doubled with one out. With runners on second and third, Peek brought Kuhn home on a sacrifice fly. A Carthage error capped the inning as Khoury scampered home to increase the lead to five, 5-0, after three frames.

Senior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) worked around a couple of errors in the fourth. After a fielder's choice got the lead runner, Grubczak fanned a Firebird to strand two and keep the shutout intact. 

Carthage broke up Grubczak's pursuit of her second career no-hitter with an infield single in the fifth. Two more singles followed, loading the bases with one out for the Firebirds. A fourth single in the inning broke the shutout, cutting IWU's lead to 5-2. The Firebirds capitalized on a few more Illinois Wesleyan errors, eventually tying the game at five before Grubczak escaped the inning with a strikeout.

With their five-run lead erased and the game level at 5-5, the Titans got to work in the fifth. IWU sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning, using seven hits, a pair of walks, and an error to plate seven runs. 

Junior Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) walked, Khoury reached on an error, and Peek singled to bring Turner to the plate. The junior second baseman ripped an RBI single to left, reclaiming a 6-5 IWU lead. A wild pitch brought home another run, forcing a Carthage pitching change with two on and nobody out. Despite a mid at-bat pitching change, senior Erica Barker (Linton, Ind.-Linton-Stockton) came through in a pinch-hitting opportunity as her sacrifice fly scored Peek from third.

After singling, freshman Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) worked her way into a pickle to allow Turner to scamper home from third. Junior Maya Black (Springfield, Ill.-Glenwood) walked and Moore singled to continue the big inning. Kuhn, Fontanetta, and Khoury each recorded RBI singles to cap the inning and break open a 12-7 IWU lead into the sixth.

Returning to the circle, Grubczak retired six in-a-row over the sixth and seventh innigs to close out the 12-5 victory.

Overall, IWU finished with 14 hits spread among eight players. Kuhn and Khoury each finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Khoury drove in two and Kuhn had one RBI. Peek went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Moore rounded out the multi-hit showings with a 2-for-3 effort. 

Grubczak went the distance to pick up the win, fanning four over seven innings and allowing just two earned runs. 

Illinois Wesleyan completes its Wisconsin weekend tomorrow, April 15, with a twin bill at Carroll University. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.