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Nikki Miller, Gianna Certa, Claire Post meeting in the circle
© AshtinElder
9
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 16-7, 1-0 CCIW
0
North Park NPU 11-12, 2-3 CCIW
Winner
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
16-7, 1-0 CCIW
9
Final
0
North Park NPU
11-12, 2-3 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 2 2 0 1 4 9 10 0
North Park NPU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

W: Certa, Gianna (9-2) L: Hare, Raquel (2-2)

0
North Park NPU 11-13, 2-4 CCIW
2
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 17-7, 2-0 CCIW
North Park NPU
11-13, 2-4 CCIW
0
Final
2
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
17-7, 2-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
North Park NPU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 0 0 1 0 0 1 X 2 4 0

W: Holland, Mallory (2-1) L: Lafnear, Maya (4-7) S: Certa, Gianna (3)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Combines to No-Hit North Park in Sweep

Titan pitchers allow one hit on the day

CHICAGO - Strong pitching and timely hits lifted the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team to a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin sweep of North Park University Saturday afternoon, April 12, in Chicago. IWU run-ruled NPU in game one, 9-0, before three Titans combined to no-hit the Vikings in a 2-0 victory in game two. The Green and White jumped its record to 17-7 overall and 2-0 in league play with the wins, while the Vikings slipped to 11-13 (2-4 CCIW).

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 9, North Park 0 (5 inn.)
Senior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) cranked a two-out double to the wall to lift IWU ahead, 2-0, in the Green and White's first trip to the plate. Sophomore Hailey Milgazo (Poway, Calif.-Poway) was hit by a pitch to leadoff and moved to second on junior Anna Beckman's (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) bunt. Senior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) followed with a single to put runners on the corners, before Kuhn swiped second to put two in scoring position for Khoury. Working the count to 3-2, Khoury barreled the offering to right-center, scoring two.

North Park singled to leadoff its half of the first, but the Vikings did not get a runner further than first base as junior pitcher Gianna Certa (Third, Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) settled in. Certa came back with two strikeouts and a groundout to keep the Vikings scoreless. 

Illinois Wesleyan doubled up its lead in the second as sophomore Annika Brown (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and freshman Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) reached base with one out. Brown worked a full-count to a walk, and Wilkens used her speed to beat out an infield single, setting the table for Beckman. The junior came through, doubling to left-center, to push IWU's lead to 4-0.

Brown and Wilkens kicked off another two-run frame for the Titans, reaching base in the third. Beckman put a deep fly ball to right field, which was ultimately misplayed, bringing in two runs on the error. 

The Titans pushed the game to run-rule territory with a four-run, five-hit fifth. Junior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) singled up the middle to score the sophomore pinch-running duo of Margo Geary (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) and Parker Cash (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg). Geary entered after freshman Bella Pinter's (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) leadoff single, and Cash lifted Khoury after a walk. The two immediately swiped bases to move into scoring position ahead of Wissmiller's RBI hit. After freshman Riley McDoniel's (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) pinch-hit single and Wilkens' bunt single, freshman Maddie Pool (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South) whacked a single through the left side to score two more and break the game open, 9-0.

Certa closed out the one-hit, run-rule shutout with a 1-2-3 fifth as a pair of popups sandwiched a strikeout to put a bow on the 9-0 victory. The Third Lake, Ill. native needed just 56 pitches to down the Vikings, finishing with three strikeouts over five innings pitched. 

Illinois Wesleyan outhit North Park, 10-1, with eight Titans recording a hit. Wilkens was the top performer at the dish, going 3-for-3, while four players tied for the team lead with two RBIs apiece.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 2, North Park 0
The Green and White made the most of an NPU error in the third to climb ahead, 1-0, before adding an insurance run in the sixth. 

After a 1-2-3 frame in the circle from Pool, Illinois Wesleyan's bats manufactured a run on two hits and an error. Kuhn singled with one out, and Khoury reached on an error to put two aboard with two outs. Head coach Tiffany Prager elected to insert freshman speedster Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) to pinch run at second, a decision that paid off moments later. Wissmiller ripped the second pitch of her at bat back up the middle to bring home Julia Wilkens from second and double IWU's lead, 2-0, into the seventh.

Certa entered in relief in the final inning, inheriting a runner on first, but did not waver. With NPU down to its final out after a pair of fly balls, Certa registered a three-pitch strikeout to secure the no-hitter.

Sophomore Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) threw four hitless innings as the Titan starter. Holland fanned two and allowed just two baserunners as she earned the win, moving to 2-1 on the year. Pool tossed two innings in relief, notching two strikeouts, before turning things over to Certa in the seventh. 

The Titans finished with four hits in the contest, spread evenly among four players. Wissmiller led the offense, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. 

Illinois Wesleyan travels to Millikin University this Tuesday, April 15. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at the Workman Family Softball Field in Decatur, Ill.

 
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