BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Five home runs and a perfect game by junior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) powered the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team to a sweep of Lake Forest College on the final day of IWU Invite I Sunday, March 30. The Titans (10-5) took game one by an 8-7 score, before toppling the Foresters (8-8), 11-0, in six innings.

Certa's perfect game, the first of her career, is the first by a Titan since Ally Wiegand tossed one in 2020. The dominant performance secured IWU a sweep of Lake Forest, the alma mater of Titan pitching coach Nikki Miller on Miller's birthday.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 8, Lake Forest 7
Lake Forest struck first, but IWU came right back with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the score at one. Sophomore Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) and freshman Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) singled before junior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) recorded a run-scoring groundout.

Illinois Wesleyan claimed its first lead of the day in the second as junior Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) delivered a moonshot over the centerfield fence for a 2-1 Titan advantage. Sophomore Annika Brown (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) followed with a four-pitch walk, and her, along with freshman Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) came around to score on Milgazo's two-run triple down the right field line. After an error brought another Titan across the plate, Wissmiller smacked a double to the right-center wall to push IWU ahead, 5-1. 

Post continued to thwart Lake Forest's baserunning efforts, helping freshman Maddie Pool (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South) escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third.

The Green and White responded with three runs on four hits in its half of the frame. Senior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) was beamed to leadoff the inning and lifted for freshman speedster Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett), who quickly got to third on a groundout and steal. Grace Wilkens later walked to put runners on the corners for Milgazo. Coming up in another RBI situation, the California native took full advantage with a two-run double to left-center. Pinter drove home Milgazo with a single to up the Illinois Wesleyan edge to seven, 8-1, into the fourth.

Walks provided a spark for the Foresters in their next trip to the plate as LFC cut into the deficit. A wild pitch brought the first run home before a tight play at the plate went in favor of Lake Forest. With runners on the corners, Wissmiller made a heady play to get the runner at the plate for the first out of the inning. Freshman Ella Hermes (Peru, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy), who entered in relief of Pool, sat the next batter down looking for out number two. The Foresters had a bit more left in the rally however, as a three-run homer and another close call at the plate had the Titans' cushion down to one, 8-7.

Hermes threw a 1-2-3 fifth and Certa stranded two in the sixth to maintain the lead into the seventh. With Lake Forest down to its final three outs, Certa slammed the door as two flyouts sandwiched a groundout to seal the win.

Illinois Wesleyan cranked out 11 hits to LFC's seven. Milgazo turned in a 3-for-4 showing that was highlighted by a career-high four RBIs as she finished a homer shy of the cycle. Pinter, Kuhn, and Wissmiller tallied two hits each. 

In the circle, the Green and White used the services of four different arms. Pool eventually earned the win, throwing two hitless innings with two strikeouts. Hermes bridged the gap to Certa, going 2.1 frames, before Certa notched a 1.2-inning save. 

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 11, Lake Forest 0 (6 inn.)
Two homers powered the Titans ahead in game two as Khoury and senior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) lifted offerings out and over the outfield fence. Junior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) added a run-scoring double to push IWU in front, 5-0, after three and a half innings.

Walks and wild pitches piled up for the Foresters in the top of the fifth. Illinois Wesleyan plated two insurance runs on two hits and three walks to grab a seven-run lead, before blowing things open in the sixth. 

Pinter belted the first homer of her collegiate career with one out and Khoury tacked on another three-run shot to stretch the score to 11-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, Wissmiller made a tremendous play on a bunt to get the leadoff batter out before Certa finished things off on her own. A gutsy effort came to an end as Certa worked through a full count to get back-to-back strikeouts and put an exclamation mark on the historic victory.

Certa tallied six strikeouts over six innings of work as she moved to 6-1 in the circle this season. 

At the plate, Khoury went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and six driven in. Her six RBIs are tied second-most in IWU history and are the most since Colleen Palczynski drove in seven against Wheaton, April 9, 2021. Khoury was one of four Titans to collect multiple hits in the game as IWU notched nine in the contest. Kuhn, Pinter, and Beckman contributed two apiece.

Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to play the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this Wednesday, April 2. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Whitewater, Wis.