JACKSON, Miss. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team gutted out a split in a pair of tight contests at No. 20 Belhaven University Tuesday, March 17. The Titans were upended 4-3 in game one, but came from behind to take the nightcap, 5-4. IWU moved to 4-6 with the split, while BU dropped to 16-7 on the season.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 3, No. 20 Belhaven 4
Belhaven grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second, as a hit by pitch and a walk put the first two batters aboard for the Blazers. Another walk loaded the bases and set the table for Grace Langston's RBI single up the middle. 

Illinois Wesleyan got the run back and more in the third. Freshman Grace Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) reached on an error and advanced to second on sophomore Kelsey Bartel's (Downs, Ill.-Tri Valley) sac bunt to move into scoring position. Sophomore Riley McDoniel (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) capitalized on the RBI opportunity, whacking a single to the right-center gap to bring home Grace Wilkens. With runners on second and third after another BU error, freshman Isabella Boskey (Huntley, Ill.-Huntley) drove in a run on a groundout to push IWU ahead, 2-1.

Senior Anna Beckman (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) reached on an error with two outs in the fifth to get the Titans going once again. She scooted into second with her seventh steal of the year, moving up 60 feet for Boskey. The rookie poked a single to left-center, bringing home Beckman from third, extending the Green and White's lead to two, 3-1.

Belhaven answered with a run-scoring knock in the bottom half of the inning to cut the cushion to one, 3-2, into the sixth. 

Senior Casey Wissmiller (Bloomington, Ill.-Olympia) plopped a one-out single in the right-center gap and junior Annika Brown (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) followed with a single of her own to flip the lineup over to the top with one out in the sixth. The Titans appeared poised for insurance runs, but a double play thwarted the scoring chance.

A two-out triple gave the Blazers life in the sixth, as the next batter followed with a single to knot the game at three all. Senior Gianna Certa (Third Lake, Ill.-Grayslake North) buckled down with the go-ahead run on first, inducing an inning-ending fly out to send the game to the seventh.

Beckman reached on a base on balls with one away, but the Titans could not capitalize. Meanwhile, the Blazers' leadoff batter sent a 1-2 delivery over the left field fence to walk it off.

IWU finished with seven hits in the contest, led by Brown's 2-for-3 showing, while BU notched eight hits in the contest. Certa threw the full game, allowing four runs on eight hits, as she dipped to 2-2 on the season.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 5, No. 20 Belhaven 4
Illinois Wesleyan put its first two batters aboard in the start of the first. McDoniel bunted two into scoring position and Beckman delivered a sac fly to bring Grace WIlkens across for a 1-0 lead. 

The 1-0 edge did not last long, as a one-out double by the Blazers tied the score in the bottom half of the frame. A walk was followed by a single to give the home team a 2-1 lead into the second. 

Belhaven bolstered its lead with a run in the third, but IWU got one back in the fourth. Beckman led off with a single and swiped second. With speed in scoring position, Wissmiller singled to right to cut the deficit to one, 3-2. Freshman Julia Wilkens (Bartlett, Ill.-Bartlett) kept things rolling with another base knock and took second in a first-and-third situation, but a great defensive play retired the Titans to send the Blazers back to the plate.

After senior Caroline Gatchell (Grayslake, Ill.-Carmel Catholic) sent BU down in 1-2-3 fashion, Bartels beat out a swinging bunt in the fifth. The sophomore transfer slid safely into second for a steal, which proved pivotal as Beckman crushed an RBI single to right. 

Junior Mallory Holland (Shelbyville, Ill.-Shelbyville) entered in relief in the bottom of the fifth with the game level, 3-3, inheriting a runner on first. After yielding another single, Holland induced a pair of ground balls, but the second brought home a run on a fielder's choice to push Belhaven ahead, 4-3.

Sophomore Jillian Bollard (Roselle, Ill.-St. Viator) earned a five-pitch walk to reach with one out to put the tying run on base, but a strikeout and flyout kept IWU from doing any damage. 

Holland found herself in quite the jam in the bottom of the sixth after issuing three free passes to load the bases, but came away unscathed thanks to a timely ground ball. 

Illinois Wesleyan went to work in the seventh, putting together a two-run rally behind three hits and a Belhaven error. Grace Wilkens singled and took second on a throwing error and Bartels notched a bunt-single to put runners on the corners. McDoniel continued the run with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing in Grace Wilkens from third to knot the score, 4-4. Beckman scorched a 2-1 pitch into the right-center gap and raced around for an RBI triple to reclaim a Titan lead, 5-4. 

Holland shut the door in the seventh, getting two quick outs. A four-pitch walk made things interesting, but the junior hurler preserved the score with a groundout to second.

IWU outhit Belhaven, 11-8, in the contest. Bartels went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Beckman racked up three RBIs in a 3-for-3 showing. Wissmiller rounded out the multi-hit efforts, going 2-for-3.

Gatchell threw the first four innings, ultimately coming away with a no-decision. She struckout two and scattered seven hits while being tagged for four runs. Holland earned the win after taking the circle for the final three frames without yielding a run. She limited the Blazers to just one hit.

Illinois Wesleyan closes out its spring break trip tomorrow night, March 18, with a pair of games at Millsaps College. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Jackson, Miss.