GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton Thunder softball team split a CCIW doubleheader with North Central College on Monday afternoon at Wheaton's Ruth Leedy Field. North Central won today's first game 2-0. Wheaton earned a 5-3 victory in eight innings in the nightcap.

North Central is currently ranked 18th in Division III according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Wheaton is now 16-13 on the year, with a 4-6 record in CCIW play. The Thunder will travel to Benedictine University on Tuesday for a non-conference game.

Wheaton won today's finale 5-3 thanks to a five-run outburst in the eighth inning. The Thunder scored five runs, on seven hits, with one error and North Central tallied three runs, on eight hits, with no errors. Senior Danielle Schmidt (10-5) earned the victory in eight innings. She allowed three runs, on eight hits, with seven strikeouts and four walks. Freshman Alyssa Leonard was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

The two teams battled through seven scoreless innings in a pitchers duel between Schmidt and North Central's Vlasta Mangia. Schmidt held North Central to four hits in the first seven innings and Mangia allowed two hits in the same span. The Thunder offense put up five hits off of Mangia in the eighth inning to score five runs.

Leonard led off the top of the eighth inning with a double and freshman Katie Thornton hit a pinch hit RBI-single to drive in the first run of the game. Christina Sandstedt hit a two-run single to help Wheaton's cause. Suzanne Teuben and Stacey Cladis each added a RBI in the inning to give Wheaton a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but Schmidt shut the door on the Cardinals to give Wheaton the key CCIW win.

North Central earned a 2-0 victory in the second game as the Cardinals scored two runs, on five hits, with no errors and Wheaton was scoreless, with four runs and one error. Thornton (5-7) took the loss in the circle as she allowed two runs, on five hits, with eight strikeouts and four walks.

North Central registered a run in the top of the first inning and the Cardinals added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to earn the win. Mangia ( 19-2) earned the win for the Cardinals.