BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Three homers powered the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team to a sweep of Wheaton College Saturday, April 8, at Inspiration Field. With the wins, the Titans begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play 2-0 and boost their overall record to 11-10. The Thunder fell to 6-16 with the losses and 1-5 in the CCIW.

Game One: Wheaton 0, Illinois Wesleyan 8 (5 inn.)
Freshman Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) powered the Titan offense, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Wissmiller whacked the first homer of her career, a three-run shot. Senior Madison Moore (Verona, Wis.-Edgewood) and junior Priscilla Peek (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) added 2-for-3 showings as IWU outhit Wheaton, 9-1.

Senior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) threw all five innings, allowing one hit and no runs. Mardjetko, who secured her second shutout of the year, struck out four and walked three as she moved to 7-5 in the circle.

A single by Wissmiller sparked the Titan offense in the bottom of the third, as the leadoff knock led to a pair of runs. Moore followed a wild pitch with an RBI single to score Wissmiller from second. Junior Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) capped the inning with a rip off the left-field fence to double IWU's lead into the fourth.

The fifth saw the Green and White erupt for six runs on four hits and an error. Moore started things with a double to left before walks by sophomore Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and Fontanetta loaded the bases for sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) with nobody out. A dropped pop up scored Moore and Peek's bunt single scored freshman pinch runner Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) to push the lead to 4-0 with one away.

After Peek stole second, junior Bailey Turner's (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) sacrifice fly brought junior Isabelle Piwowarczyk (Hometown, Ill.-Oak Lawn) to the plate in a pinch hit spot. Coming through with a duck snort to left, Piwowarczyk's single put runners on the corner for Wissmiller. With the Titans in front 5-0, Wissmiller smoked the first-pitch offering out to left to end the game by run-rule, 8-0.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 4, Wheaton 3
Kuhn paced the offense in game two, finishing 2-for-4 with two driven in and a run scored. Kuhn along with freshman Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) recorded homers in the win.

Senior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) threw six innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out three. Mardjetko threw one inning, fanning two and walking one.

Khoury's sacrifice fly out to left scored Moore for the game's first run in the top of the third, giving IWU a 1-0 edge.

Wheaton capitalized on miscues by the Titans to take a 2-1 lead into the sixth, before Post leveled the game with one swing of the bat. Stepping to the plate with two outs, Post crushed a solo homer to left center.

Wheaton got a run back in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead, 3-2, into the seventh.

Coming through with another clutch pinch hit, Piwowarczyk bunted her way on with a leadoff single. A groundout and a wild pitch saw the junior, representing the tying run, slide into third with one out. Kuhn clubbed her first homer of the season to turn the tide and push IWU ahead, 4-3.

Mardjetko relieved Grubczak in the bottom of the seventh, and worked around a leadoff walk to earn the save.

Illinois Wesleyan continues CCIW play with a trip to Wisconsin next weekend, April 15-16. The Titans will take on Carthage College in a double dip Saturday, April 15, beginning at 1 p.m. before heading to Carroll University, April 16.