Kissimmee, Fla.(3/9) - The Thunder softball team concluded its first week of competition by winning both games of a Friday doubleheader. The Thunder softballers improved to 7-3 on the season by beating the Cougars of Misericordia College 4-1 and coming back in the top of seventh to beat Emerson College 3-2 .
In the first game, Misericordia struck first when Jen Gehman tripled and later scored on a Jessica Klimas double to right centerfield.
However, Wheaton would answer in the bottom of the inning by scoring a run of its own. Freshman Laura Jones reached when she was hit by a pitch. Junior Trinity Pierce's single to center movined Jones into scoring position, where she later scored on a wild pitch. Pierce and junior Beth Miller teamed up with base hits to left and center, respectively, in the bottom of the third, to score Jones, who reached on another walk.
Two more runs came in the fifth when Jones reached on a single to shortstop. Miller would score Jones on a base hit up the middle. Senior co-captain Amanda Grant singled to score freshman Erica Casey who pinch ran for Miller.
Junior Kim Hegna allowed four hits, and only one hit in the last six innings. Hegna earned the complete game and the win to improve to 2-1. Laura Jones tallied three of the four runs for the Thunder while Pierce and Miller went 2-for-3 with two base hits each.
The second game was won by tight defense and some timely hits by the Thunder in the 3-2 victory against the Emerson College Lions. Emerson jumped out to the early lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. But junior pitcher Sara Hoffman would battle back after loading the bases, with no outs, to get three outs and not allow any more runs.
A similar scenario presented itself in the third with the bases loaded and only one out. Hoffman got the Lions to pop out to Kay Oliver and line out to a diving Alissa Sharp. The Lions stranded nine runners in the first four innings.
Wheaton got a run back in the top of the fifth when Oliver singled to center and advanced on the centerfielder's error. Freshman Emily Tuttle singled to right to advance Oliver who scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Lauren Hein .
In the seventh inning, junior Sarah Callicutt led off and crushed her second triple of the game to rightfield. Freshman Becky Redline drove in Callicutt with a RBI-single to leftfield. A well placed sacrifice bunt by senior Amber Richardson advanced Redline to second, bringing up the top of the order.
Hein lined a single to center to score the hustling Redline to give the Thunder the 3-2 lead. The Thunder defense stayed on its toes in the bottom of seventh where Sharp and Hein would catch line drives heading for left field.
Miller pitched 4-2/3 inning and picked up the win to post an impressive 4-1 record during the spring break trip. She allowed only three hits and struck out five. Callicutt and Hein each went 2-for-3, as the team collected eight hits, including four in the decisive seventh inning.
