WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team cranked out 22 hits in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader at Carroll University Saturday, April 15. An hour-long rain delay could not slow the Titans as IWU won 3-2 in extra innings before grabbing a 5-1 win in the nightcap. With the wins, Illinois Wesleyan stretched its win streak to 11 and upped its record to 15-10 overall, 6-0 in the CCIW.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 3, Carroll 2 (9 inn.)
Illinois Wesleyan used a pair of errors to manufacture a run in the second and take a 1-0 lead. Junior Priscilla Peek (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) reached on an error and moved to second on a passed ball. Bailey Turner's (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) sacrifice bunt pushed Peek to third for freshman Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia), who came through with an RBI. 

Carroll got on the board in the third, using three hits to score two on a two-out rally. After a pair of groundouts, the Pios used a bunt-single, single to center, and a walk to load the bases. Carroll's then slipped a two-run single through the left side to push the home team ahead, 2-1, into the fourth. 

A leadoff double by Turner in the fourth was followed by a sac bunt to put a runner on third for Wissmiller once again. The freshman infielder picked up her second RBI of the day with a duck snort to right to even the score at two. 

Illinois Wesleyan appeared poised to reclaim the lead in the late innings, but the Titans could not capitalize as the game went to the bottom of the seventh tied, 2-2.

The Green and White broke through in the ninth, as junior Maya Black (Springfield, Ill.-Glenwood) kicked things off with a bloop single. After scooting into second on a sac bunt, Black raced home on junior Megan Fontanetta's (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) two-out RBI single. 

Heading to the bottom of the ninth with a slim, 3-2, lead, senior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) worked around a one-out walk. A great play by Wissmiller on a bunt towards third was good for second out of the inning, before a lineout sealed the 3-2 victory. 

IWU cranked out 10 hits to Carroll's eight, with Turner leading the way with a 3-for-3 showing as the bottom of the lineup stepped up for the Green and White. Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and Fontanetta added 2-for-4 efforts. Wissmiller finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

In the circle, it was Mardjetko for the full nine innings for the Titans. The senior righty, who upped her record to 9-5 with the win, allowed two runs on eight hits with one strikeout.

Game Two: Carroll 1, Illinois Wesleyan 5
Trailing 1-0 in the second, freshman Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) worked around a pair of walks to keep the Pioneers from tacking on anymore. The lefty hurler struckout two to escape the jam before the game went to a lengthy weather delay.

Out of the break, sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) got the Green and White going with a bang. The Columbia, Ill. native smashed her eighth homer of the year to knot the score, 1-1. Turner singled and Post doubled before Wissmiller cranked a two-run double down the left field line to push IWU ahead, 3-1.

Another Wissmiller double scored Turner in the fourth to stretch the lead to three, 4-1, into the fourth, before Turner's double in the fifth expanded the lead to 5-1.

Gatchell yielded just two hits over the final two innings to secure her first career win in the circle. She finished with six strikeouts over six innings. 

Offensively, the Titans posted double-digit hits for the three straight games as they finished with an even dozen. Turner finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one driven in, while Khoury went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo homer. Kuhn and Wissmiller added two hits apiece.

Illinois Wesleyan's roadtrip continues with a short drive down to Decatur Wednesday, April 19, for a doubleheader at Millikin University. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.