GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team spilt a doubleheader at home against Lake Forest College on Saturday afternoon. Wheaton rallied to win the first game 7-6 and the Foresters won the nightcap 9-4. Wheaton is now 8-4 on the year, while Lake Forest is 5-7 this season. The Thunder will travel to Lisle, Illinois on Monday for a doubleheader at Benedictine.

Wheaton defeated Lake Forest 7-6 in today's first game as the Thunder scored seven runs, on 12 hits, with no errors and Lake Forest scored six runs, on four hits, with no errors. Danielle Schmidt (5-1) picked up the win in seven innings of work in the circle. She allowed six runs, four of which were earned runs, on four hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Freshman Christina Sandstedt was 4-for-4 in the game with a double and her first career home run. Sandstedt drove in four runs and scored twice. Shortstop Shannah Morris was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Sophomore Jessica Goeke was 2-for-4, with a pair of runs scored and a run driven in.

The Thunder broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sandstedt hit a leadoff single through the left side of the infield and she scored on the next at-bat thanks to a RBI-double by Suzanne Teuben. The Thunder offense exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-0 lead. A grand slam home run over the leftfield fence by Sandstedt highlighted the inning, with Goeke adding a RBI-single. 

The Foresters tied the game by scoring six runs in the top of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning Goeke hit a one-out bunt single to reach base and she advanced to second base on the next at-bat thanks to a single by Sandstedt. Stacey Cladis won the game for the Thunder with a walk-off base hit when she belted a single to right field that allowed Goeke to score the game-winning run.

Lake Forest was a 9-4 winner in the second game as the Foresters scored nine runs, on nine hits, with three errors and Wheaton plated four runs, on 12 hits, with three errors. Thunder starting pitcher Lyndsey Pritchard (1-1) took the loss in 4-1/3 innings as she allowed four runs, with three earned runs, on six hits, three strikeouts and no walks. Katie Thornton pitched one inning of relief, allowing three runs, including one earned run, on one hit, with four walks and no strikeouts. Schmidt pitched 1-2/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs, including one earned run on two hits, with one strikeout. Teuben was 4-for-4, with a RBI and a run scored. Freshman Katie Yergler was 3-for-4, with a run scored.

Each team scored a run in the first inning as Teuben highlighted Wheaton's first with a RBI-single. Lake Forest took a 2-1 lead with a run in the top of the fourth inning and the guests added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning. Wheaton plated an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning to trim the Lake Forest lead to 4-2. The Foresters opened things up with four runs in the top of the sixth inning to increase the guests' lead to 8-2 and added another run in the top of the seventh. Wheaton scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, highlighted by a RBI-double for Schmidt.