(040624) - SB - IWU vs DPW | Hailey Milgazo sliding into third

Kodiak Creative

Softball Eyes Clash with Cardinals

Key CCIW battle set for 2 p.m. first pitch

4/17/2024 5:04:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A four-game road stint comes to a close Thursday, April 18, as the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team travels to North Central College for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader. First pitch has been moved up one hour to 2 p.m. due to evening weather forecasts.

The Titans hold a 16-7 record on the season, including a 3-1 mark since starting league play one week ago. The Green and White most recently outlasted Elmhurst on the road, April 13, to come away with a sweep. IWU nabbed a 4-1 extra-inning win that saw all five runs come in extras before run-ruling the Bluejays, 14-6, in game two. North Central carries an impressive 19-5 record into Thursday, alongside a 4-2 CCIW tally. The Cardinals most recently saw a four-game win streak halted by Carthage, April 16, as the two teams split a doubleheader. NCC notched a 5-2 win in game one, but the Firebirds erupted for a 10-3 victory to salvage a split.

The Titans and Cardinals have a lengthy history, having met 75 times since 1997. IWU holds a 43-32 lead in the all-time series and has won six of the past eight bouts. Most recently, the two teams split a twin bill in Bloomington, April 27. IWU doubled up NCC, 8-4, in game one but went on to fall 9-4 in the night cap.

IWU's offense continues to be a highlight with a .346 team batting average. Freshman Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) tops the team with a .481 clip behind a team-high 38 hits. She also leads the team with nine stolen bases. Junior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) and sophomore Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) are hitting .453 and .450 for the season. Kuhn carries a team-leading on-base percentage of .529, while Beckman has built up a .750 slugging percentage. Sophomore Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia), who is hitting .402, has driven in a team-high 26 on the season with 15 walks and five homers, both of which are team-bests.

Sophomore Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North), the reigning CCIW Pitcher of the Week, is 8-2 in the circle this season. The righty hurler leads IWU with a 1.93 earned run average and has fanned 54 on the year. Certa has nine complete games in 11 appearances with two shutouts and a save.

The twin bill is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start in Naperville. Live stats and a live stream will be provided through links on the softball schedule page of iwusports.com.

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