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Softball Clinches Share of CCIW Regular Season Title - April 27, 2025
8
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 27-7
1
Carthage CARTHAGE 24-12
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
27-7
8
Final
1
Carthage CARTHAGE
24-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 8 9 1
Carthage CARTHAGE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 3

W: Certa, Gianna (14-2) L: M. Conway (11-6)

1
Carthage CARTHAGE 24-14
2
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 29-7
Carthage CARTHAGE
24-14
1
Final
2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
29-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Carthage CARTHAGE 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 7 2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 0 0 0 2 0 X 2 6 1

W: Holland, Mallory (7-1) L: O. Hristov (13-6) S: Certa, Gianna (4)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Clinches Share of CCIW Regular Season Title with Sweep

Titans finish out league play against Augie Wednesday, April 30

KENOSHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team spoiled Carthage College's Senior Day Sunday, April 27, clinching at least a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship. The Titans grabbed 8-1 and 2-1 wins over the Firebirds to climb to 29-7 on the year and 12-0 in league play. Carthage stumbled to 24-13 with the loss and 10-6 in CCIW competition. 

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 8, Carthage 1
Neither team mustered much offensively over the first four innings, but the Firebirds found a stride in the fourth. A leadoff walk and a bunt-single put the first two batters aboard for Carthage and a sacrifice bunt put both in scoring position with one away. Junior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) was unfazed however, getting back-to-back outs to keep the home team off the scoreboard.

Sophomore Margo Geary (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) and freshman Riley McDoniel (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) sparked the Titan offense in the sixth. Senior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) drew a walk and junior Claire Post (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) reached via an error on a sac bunt before the two were lifted for the fleet-footed pinch-running duo of Geary and McDoniel. With Geary standing on third, McDoniel worked her way into a run down between first and second. Selling it and staying alive, McDoniel gave Geary time to get a jump and ultimately slide home for the game's first run and a 1-0 IWU edge. Freshman Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) kept the speed show rolling with an RBI infield single and junior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) walked with the bases loaded to push the score to 3-0. Senior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High) finished off the inning with a two-run double as IWU carried a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

Carthage scrapped a run across on a two-out single to cut the lead to four, 5-1, but Illinois Wesleyan came right back with three runs on four hits and a pair of errors. Freshman Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) singled and scooted to second on a throwing error before freshman Ella Hermes (Peru, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) singled to put runners on the corners. Junior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) roped a base hit to right, scoring Pinter, and Beckman later whacked a single through the right side to score a pair.

Leading 8-1 into the Firebirds' final trip to the plate, Certa worked around an error to keep Carthage at bay and wrap up an 8-1 victory.

Certa went the full 7.0 innings in the circle, surrendering one run on four hits. She struck out one and walked two while bumping her record to 14-2. 

Illinois Wesleyan accrued a 9-4 edge in hits, with Beckman turning in a spectacular showing. The junior outfielder went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks. Wissmiller also notched a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one driven in, and a walk.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 2, Carthage 1
A pitcher's duel played out in game two as sophomore Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) went toe-to-toe with Carthage's Olivia Hristov. Holland battled in the circle and with some web-gem worthy plays by the defense, secured the win. 

Holland and the Titans found themselves in an early jam as Carthage loaded the bases with just one out, but the Green and White held strong. Holland cued up a clutch strikeout and Hermes made a snag at second base to strand three and keep the game scoreless.

The game remained deadlocked, 0-0, until Carthage took its first lead of the day in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles put two in scoring position with one out for the Firebirds. A sinking line drive to right was hauled in on Grace Wilken's diving catch, but saw CC tag up for a 1-0 lead. 

Illinois Wesleyan's offense rallied behind Holland, picking up with a two-run fifth in the bottom half of the frame. Pinter was issued a leadoff walk and singles by freshman Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) and Wissmiller loaded the bases for the hot-hitting Beckman. A key two-out whack by Beckman drove home two and propelled IWU ahead, 2-1, into the sixth.

Feeding off the energy, Holland shutdown the Firebirds with a 1-2-3 sixth. The Titans had a chance to tack onto its lead, but ultimately stranded two as the game went to the seventh with Illinois Wesleyan clinging to a 2-1 edge.

Carthage put the tying run aboard with a leadoff single and Holland handed things off to Certa for the final three outs. After a sac bunt, Certa notched a strikeout before fielding a grounder back to the circle and getting the final out en route to earning her fourth save of the year.

Illinois Wesleyan tallied five hits to Carthage's seven, as five different Titans notched hits in the win. In all, Holland and Certa combined to hold Division III's batting average leader Clare Rettler to 3-for-8 on the day. Rettler entered the day hitting .633 for the season.

The Green and White refocuses on final exams before closing out the league schedule against Augustana College this Wednesday, April 30, at Inspiration Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game's will determine the host of next week's CCIW Tournament. With a win, IWU will secure No. 1 seed and the outright regular season title, while Augie can claim the No. 1 seed and a share of the championship with a sweep of Illinois Wesleyan.

 
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