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2024 CCIW Tournament Champions - Illinois Wesleyan
Kodiak Creative
4
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 30-10
2
Millikin MILLIKIN 24-17
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
30-10
4
Final
2
Millikin MILLIKIN
24-17
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 4 10 1
Millikin MILLIKIN 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 7 0

W: Certa, Gianna (18-2) L: Warlow, Charly (15-8)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Secures CCIW Tournament Championship

NCAA selection show set for Monday, May 13, at 11 a.m. ET

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team claimed its 16th College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship Saturday, May 11, defeating fourth-seeded Millikin University, 4-2, at Inspiration Field. IWU jumped its record to 30-10 on the season, marking the Green and White's first 30-win season since 2019. Millikin's season comes to an end at 24-17.

Illinois Wesleyan faced just 19 pitches through its first two trips to the plate before breaking through in the third. Freshman JD Dowling (Roselle, Ill.-Lake Park) and senior Megan Fontanetta (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) each notched hits in the frame, but the Titans could not capitalize as the game remained deadlocked, 0-0, through two and a half innings.

The Green and White ran into some trouble in the bottom of the second as back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Big Blue with two outs. Sophomore Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) battled through however, getting an inning-ending flyout to Dowling in left to send the game to the fourth.

The Titans strung together three straight singles to get the offense going in the fourth. Freshman Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) beat out an infield single and junior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) followed with a knock to the 5-6 hole. Sophomore Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) singled to left-center and gave IWU a chance to score, but Milgazo was called out at the plate. Senior Bailey Turner (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) picked the Green and White up though, coming through with an RBI single to push IWU ahead, 1-0.

Millikin climbed on top, 2-1, with a pair of runs on three hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth.

Freshman Elyssa Stenger (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) singled down the left field line to leadoff the fifth and moved to second on Fontanetta's sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) walked and Milgazo loaded the bases with a single. Digging into the batter's box, Kuhn ripped a two-run single up the middle to put the Titans back in front, 3-2. Milgazo scooted into third on the play, setting the table for a sacrifice fly off the bat of Wissmiller. 

Certa worked her way out of another jam in the bottom half of the fifth, stranding two to keep the two-run lead intact. A pair of two-out singles gave the Big Blue life, but Stenger pulled in a high-flying foul out behind home plate to send the game to the sixth.

After a quick trip to the plate, Certa slammed the door shut with a 1-2-3 seventh. Following a grounder to third and a fly out to center, the sophomore rang up the batter for a game-ending strikeout. 

Throwing the full seven innings, Certa scattered seven hits with a pair of strikeouts as she boosted her record to 18-2. 

Illinois Wesleyan cranked out 10 hits on the day, led by Milgazo, Kuhn, and Turner who each tallied two. Kuhn added two RBIs, with Wissmiller and Turner accounting for the other two.

Earning the CCIW's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Titans now await Monday's selection show. The Green and White will learn its postseason fate Monday, May 13, at 11 a.m. ET on NCAA.com.

 
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