DANVILLE, Ky. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team began its 2024 season with a split at Centre College Saturday night, Feb. 24. IWU run-ruled CC, 10-2, in game one before falling, 5-3 in game two.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 10, Central 2 (6 inn)
Three Titans recorded multiple hits in game one as IWU tallied 10 runs on 11 hits. Freshman JD Dowling went 3-for-3 in her first game as a Titan, while freshman Elyssa Stenger (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) finished 2-for-2 with a team-high two RBIs. Junior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) went 2-for-4 with one driven in and two runs scored.

Sophomore Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) got the start in the circle, fanning three over two-plus innings of work. Senior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) tossed the final three frames, shutting out the Colonels to earn the win.

Illinois Wesleyan wasted little time, pouncing for a run in the first and another in the second to take an early lead. A leadoff single from freshman Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway)  in the first at bat of her collegiate career kicked things off, as she quickly swiped second and took third on an errant throw. With a runner on third, sophomore Casey Wissmiller's (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) sac fly pushed IWU ahead, 1-0.

After Gatchell worked around a leadoff double to keep the lead intact, Kuhn started the second with a base hit through the left side. Head Coach Tiffany Prager called for the sacrifice bunt and senior Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) executed to perfection to get Kuhn into scoring position for Stenger. The freshman came through in the clutch, singling up the middle with two outs to double IWU's advantage.

Centre used back-to-back hits and an RBI groundout to crack the run column in the bottom of the second, but Gatchell fanned the next batter to strand two in scoring position. 

The Titans' scoring run continued in the third as senior Maya Black (Springfield, Ill.-Glenwood) and Wissmiller drew walks. An error brought home one run before Prager put the double steal in place to bring home junior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia). 

The Colonels used a solo homer to cut the Illinois Wesleyan lead in half, but a six-run, five-hit fourth broke the game open. The Green and White's five hits, which came from Dowling, Wissmiller, Kuhn, and Stenger, were accompanied by two CC errors. Khoury and Fontanetta brought home runs on errors, while Kuhn and Stenger notched RBI singles to up the lead to 9-2. 

After a Centre pitching change, Dowling capped off the innings with a RBI single to drive in one.

With IWU in front, 10-2, Turner worked her way out of a jam. After a walk and single put the first two aboard, Turner induced a double play and a lineout to send the game to the fifth.

Turner closed out the win in the bottom of the fifth, stranding a leadoff single to earn her first win of the season.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 3, Centre 5
Illinois Wesleyan finished with seven hits in game two, with Milgazo and Wissmiller notching two apiece. Milgazo, Wissmiller, and Khoury accounted for IWU's RBIs.

IWU used three hurlers in the circle, with freshman Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) getting the start. Holland went five innings, striking out one and allowing two runs on three hits. Freshman Maddie Adams (Bloomington, Ill.-University High) was credited with the loss, while Gatchell tossed one shutout inning in relief.

A three-run sixth upended the Titans in the night cap, as IWU saw its 3-0 edge slip away. The Green and White used RBI singles from Wissmiller and Khoury, and a run-scoring double by Kuhn to take a three-run lead through four and a half innings. 

Centre pulled within one on a double and a throwing error in the fifth, before a three-run homer pushed the Colonels ahead, 5-3. 

Next up for the Titans is a trip to Columbus, Ga. for the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic, March 1-3. IWU will play six games over the three-day span.