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BLOOMINGTON, IL - April 27 - NCAA Softball: Illinois Wesleyan vs Carroll (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
4
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 3-2
2
Case Western Reserve CWR 7-3
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
3-2
4
Final
2
Case Western Reserve CWR
7-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 4 8 1
Case Western Reserve CWR 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 7 1

W: Certa, Gianna (0-0) L: K. Hosey (0-0)

1
Bethel (Minn.) BETHEL 4-6
9
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-2
Bethel (Minn.) BETHEL
4-6
1
Final
9
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Bethel (Minn.) BETHEL 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 2 2 1 1 3 9 14 1

W: Pool, Maddie (0-0) L: D. Walicke (0-0)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Takes Two on Final Day of California Trip

Titans come home with a 4-2 record

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team ended its six-game spring break trip on a high note Monday, March 10, as the Titans defeated No. 2 Case Western Reserve University and Bethel University. IWU (4-2) came back to knock off Case Western (7-2), 4-2, before run-ruling Bethel (4-6), 9-1, in five innings. 

The Titans win over second-ranked Case Western is the program's first top-five win since beating third-ranked Berry as part of last season's NFCA Leadoff Classic March 3, 2024.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 4, No. 2 Case Western 2
Hours after being named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Hitter of the Week, senior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) stayed hot with a 3-for-4 performance to pace the Titan offense. Kuhn notched three of IWU's eight hits on the day, while sophomore Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) posted a 2-for-3 showing in her home state.

Junior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) threw the full 7.0 innings in the circle. She moved to 2-0 on the season while holding the Spartans to two runs on seven hits. 

Case carried a 1-0 lead into the third, where IWU recorded its first hit of the day with a one-out triple by Milgazo. Junior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) drove Milgazo in with an extra-base hit of her own, doubling to the gap. Freshman Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) kept the inning rolling with a single, setting Kuhn up with runners on the corners. Before Kuhn could register a single, Beckman scored on some heady baserunning by freshman Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) in a first-and-third situation. The four-hit, two-run inning gave the Titans a 2-1 edge.

The Spartans came right back though, using three straight singles to manufacture a run and tie the score, 2-2, into the fourth.

Illinois Wesleyan reclaimed the lead for good in the fifth. Milgazo kicked things off with a leadoff single and Pinter walked to put two on with one out. The Spartans' free pass brought a hot-hitting Kuhn to the dish much to the dismay of Case Western. Taking full advantage of the RBI opportunity, Kuhn tallied a two-run double to push IWU ahead, 4-2. 

Certa allowed just one hit over the final three innings to preserve the lead and secure the victory.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 9, Bethel 1
Freshman Maddie Pool (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South) tossed a five-inning complete game against the Royals The rookie notched the first win of her career while holding Bethel to one run, none earned, on five hits with three strikeouts. She also recorded a double at the plate in her first career plate appearance.

Pool snagged the win behind an offensive outburst that saw the Titans tally a season-high 14 hits to Bethel's five. Six players recorded multi-hit days with Milgazo, Beckman, Kuhn, junior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia), senior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia), and freshman Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) each notched two hits. 

Kuhn led the team with three RBIs, while Pinter drove in two. Beckman, Wissmiller, Khoury, and Pool were credited with one apiece.

Bethel's lone run came in the top of the first, but Pool registered a strikeout and a fly out to limit the Royals and strand bases loaded.

IWU responded with a two-run first. Beckman doubled and Pinter walked with one out. With Kuhn digging into the batter's box, sophomore Parker Cash (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg) and Beckman swiped second and third, respectively, to move two into scoring position. After Kuhn's RBI groundout, Wissmiller singled to score Cash and propel Illinois Wesleyan ahead, 2-1.

The Titans tacked on two more in the second as Grace Wilkens, Milgazo, and Beckman strung three singles together and used their speed to push one run across. Pinter capped the scoring with a two-out sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 4-1.

After Pool's run-scoring double in the third and Khoury's RBI single in the fifth, the Green and White walked it off with a three-run fifth. Leading off the inning, Pool reached on an error and Grace Wilkens and Milgazo singled to load the bases. Pinter brought home her second RBI of the day on another sac fly before Kuhn's two-run single gave the Titans a run-rule victory.

Illinois Wesleyan finishes off an eight-game road stint with a doubleheader at Monmouth College next Tuesday, March 18. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.


 
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