BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team took down Elmhurst University Saturday April 29, at Inspiration Field to secure a key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin sweep on Senior Day. With the wins, head coach
Tiffany Prager earned her 200th career win and IWU boosted its record to 21-12 (11-1 CCIW). Elmhurst dropped to 15-17 on the year and 6-8 in the CCIW.
Illinois Wesleyan honored its five seniors prior to first pitch, recognizing Madison Moore, Natalie Grubczak, Ambria May, Erica Barker, and Nina Mardjetko.
Game One: Elmhurst 2, Illinois Wesleyan 4
A pair of two-strike, two-out base hits had the Bluejays threatening early, but senior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) induced an inning-ending grounder to strand a pair.
Elmhurst struck for one in the second, using a sacrifice fly to capitalize on a walk and a double, as the Bluejays pushed ahead 1-0 into the bottom of the second.
Sophomore Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) recorded Illinois Wesleyan's first hit of the day in the fourth, singling up the middle. A sacrifice bunt moved her to second, but the leadoff single was stranded there as Elmhurst's 1-0 lead carried into the fifth.
Two errors made way for a Bluejay run in the sixth, doubling Elmhurst's lead, 2-0.
Down to their final at bats, the Titans got cooking with a leadoff homer off the bat of junior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West). The solo shot was followed by a double from senior
Madison Moore (Verona, Ill.-Edgewood), who tagged up and moved to third. Freshman
Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) came through with a deep drive to right, allowing Moore to tag and even the game at two to force extras.
Things got a bit dicey in the top of the eighth, as Elmhurst had two in scoring position with two outs, but Mardjetko was up to the task. The senior gutted out an at bat to EU's No. 2 hitter, eventually pulling down a popup back to the circle to preserve the tie.
Freshman Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) reached on an error with one out in the eighth and was moved to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by senior
Ambria May (Shorewood, Ill.-Joliet West). With a runner on second and two outs, Kuhn blasted a two-run homer to center. The dinger, Kuhn's third of the season, gave the Titans a 4-2 walk off victory.
Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 4, Elmhurst 3
Illinois Wesleyan's hot-hitting carried over into the second game as the Titans cranked out four hits in the opening inning. Kuhn rocketed a single back off the pitcher and was bunted to second. A single from Moore put runners on the corners for sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia). After Kuhn was tagged out at home on a run down, Khoury whacked a homer to right. The dinger, which was her 12th of the season, put IWU on top 2-0.
The Bluejays made the most of a leadoff walk, using a base hit to right to drive in one and cut the score to 2-1.
Junior Priscilla Peek's (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) solo shot in the second pushed the Green and White's lead back to two, 3-1, but EU used a bases loaded walk to cut back within one, 3-2, into the fourth.
Moore added to the tally with a solo homer in the fifth, returning the Titan advantage to two, 4-2, through four and a half innings.
Elmhurst struck for one run on two hits in the bottom of the fifth, as a walk and single saw the Titans turn to freshman Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) in the circle. A single up the middle brought home one, but Certa fanned the next two batters to keep IWU in front, 4-3, into the sixth.
Certa worked around a leadoff single in the sixth before posting a 1-2-3 seventh to secure the sweep, 4-3.
Illinois Wesleyan will have a quick turnaround as the Titans trek to Chicago tomorrow, April 30, for a doubleheader at North Park University. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
