BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Needing a win to advance to championship Saturday, the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team gutted out an eight-inning win over Augustana College Friday night, May 12 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament. After dropping its first game of the day to second-seeded Millikin University, IWU (27-15) rallied for a 4-3 triumph over the Vikings (22-20).

Illinois Wesleyan 4, Augustana 3 (8 inn.)
Sophomore Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) got the game started in a hurry, belting a leadoff double. With Kuhn on third, sophomore Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) whacked a 200-foot fly ball to right-center, which ultimately hit the top of the fence and landed on the warning track for a double. The two-bagger scored Kuhn and put IWU ahead, 1-0, through half an inning.

Junior Priscilla Peek (Deer Creek, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) doubled the Titan advantage with a solo shot in the second, her fifth of the year, and freshman Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) struck out the side to keep Illinois Wesleyan ahead, 2-0, into the third. 

The fourth saw Peek and Kuhn play roles in a key insurance run for the Green and White. After reaching via an error, Peek moved to second on a sac bunt and third on a wild pitch. From there, Kuhn roped an RBI single to right to extend the lead, 3-0.

Augustana broke the shutout with a run in the bottom of the frame, capitalizing on an IWU miscue to pull back within two, 3-1.

Back-to-back singles by the Vikings in the sixth ended a strong performance in the circle for Certa. With runners on second and third, a two-out double split the right-center gap and scored two to level the score at three.

The Vikings had runners on second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, but the Titans defense stood tall to send the games to extras. Junior Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) made a catch in left and fired a throw to home, where freshman Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) put down the tag. Now with two outs and a runner on third, Augie hit what appeared to be a walkoff single up the middle, but junior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) made an outstanding play to get to the ball. Fielding the grounder near second base, Turner turned and fired to Khoury, who made a great play of her own to secure the out.

Feeding off the energy of the defense, Post began the eighth with a single to right. Peek pushed her into scoring position on a two-strike bunt, before Fontanetta drilled a run-scoring double down the right field line to push IWU on top, 4-3. 

Senior Natalie Grubczak (Medinah, Ill.-Lake Park) capped off the win in the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning to send IWU to championship Saturday. 

Illinois Wesleyan 0, Millikin 8 (5 inn.)
Illinois Wesleyan's offense could not find its stride, while Millikin used a combination of power and small ball to send the Titans into the elimination bracket. 

Senior Nina Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) threw five innings, surrendering eight runs, and striking out seven, while IWU was no-hit in the contest.

Illinois Wesleyan will take on second-seeded Millikin tomorrow, May 13. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, game time has been pushed up to 12 p.m.