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Ava Khoury homering
Kodiak Creative
13
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 33-7
3
Millikin MILLIKIN 24-14
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
33-7
13
Final
3
Millikin MILLIKIN
24-14
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 2 1 1 3 6 13 15 0
Millikin MILLIKIN 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 6 1

W: Certa, Gianna (16-2) L: Ward, Carly (3-4) S: Holland, Mallory (6)

Game Recap: Softball |

Homers Aplenty as Softball Secures Spot in CCIW Tournament Championship

Titans tie program record with five home runs

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 22nd-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University softball team advanced to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship with a 13-3 win over fourth-seeded Millikin University Friday, May 9, at Inspiration Field. The Titans (33-7) will play in tomorrow's conference title game at 11 a.m. IWU will meet the winner of Friday's final game of the day between Millikin and second-seeded Augustana College.

Senior Ava Khoury (Columbia, Ill.-Columbia) uncorked a no-doubter out to left to open the scoring in the second. Junior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) doubled to right-center and scored on fellow junior Claire Post's (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) run-scoring double to left center.

Another solo blast, this time off the bat of senior Jen Kuhn (Normal, Ill.-University High), upped the Titan lead to 3-0 in the third. Kuhn drove a 1-1 offering out to straightaway center for her seventh homer of the year.

Millikin jumped on the board with a long ball of its own in the bottom half of the inning, cutting Illinois Wesleyan's advantage to three. A double to the left field fence pulled the Big Blue within one, 4-3, before sophomore Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) induced a groundout to end the inning and strand two. 

The Green and White got three runs back in its next trip to the plate as Kuhn roped an RBI double down the right field line. Junior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) and Khoury added sacrifice flies as IWU boosted its cushion to 7-3.

Illinois Wesleyan broke the game open with a six-run sixth behind the bats of its freshman. Freshman Ella Hermes (Peru, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) singled to score fellow freshman Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) before Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) floated a single to put two aboard for Bella Pinter (LaMoille, Ill.-Saint Bede Academy) with one out. The rookie took full advantage of the RBI opportunity, belting her sixth homer of the season to stretch the lead to eight, 8-3. Kuhn singled and swiped second to keep the inning rolling. After a double by Beckman, Khoury hit her second roundtripper of the day to push IWU ahead, 13-3.

Holland's 1-2-3 inning put a bow on Illinois Wesleyan's run-rule win, while the sophomore hurler picked up her sixth save of the year. Junior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) split time in the circle with Holland, as Certa moved to 16-2 on the year with the win. 

The Titans cranked out 15 hits in the win, including five homers and a total of nine extra-base hits. Kuhn went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Khoury finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three driven in. Grace Wilkens and Pinter each tallied two hits, while Pinter was also credited with three RBIs.

Illinois Wesleyan will play for the CCIW Tournament Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament tomorrow, May 10. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.

 
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