GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 PICTURED ABOVE: Katie Yergler (LEFT) and Stacey Cladis (RIGHT) each collected three hits and belted a home run in Wednesday's doubleheader.

Elmhurst, Ill. - The Wheaton softball team split a CCIW doubleheader at Elmhurst College on Wednesday afternoon. Wheaton topped the Bluejays 5-3 in eight innings in the opener, but Elmhurst won the nightcap 6-2. Wheaton's record is now 17-15 overall, 4-8 in the CCIW. The Bluejays are 11-15, 3-9 in conference play.
 
Wheaton earned the win in the opener as the Thunder scored five runs on nine hits and no errors, while Elmhurst scored three runs on 11 hits and committed two errors. The Bluejays rallied to tie the game 3-3 with a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Stacey Cladis hit a two-run home run in the eighth to give Wheaton the victory.
 
Abby Butler (8-3) got the win in relief for Wheaton. She allowed three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk in three innings pitched. Katie Thornton started on the mound for the Thunder and pitched the first four innings before coming on again to pitch in the eighth, earning her first save. She struck out nine and walked two while allowing five hits in five scoreless innings of action in the circle.
 
Wheaton took the lead in the first inning when Alyssa Leonard's two-out single scored Thornton and Katie Yergler. The score remained 2-0 until the top of the fifth inning, when Yergler drove in Becky Leone with a fielder's choice to give the Thunder a 3-0 lead.
 
Clare Bukowski hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning for Elmhurst to send the game to extra innings tied at 3-3. With two outs in the top of the eighth, Leonard singled before being knocked in by Cladis' home run to make the score 5-3.
 
Tiffany Potthast (6-6) took the loss for Elmhurst. She allowed five runs on nine hits with one strikeout and one walk in eight innings.
 
Game two saw Wheaton score two runs with six hits and one error, while the Bluejays scored six runs on eight hits and one error in a 6-2 victory for Elmhurst. Thornton (7-7) started in the circle for the Thunder and took the loss. She allowed four runs on six hits with five strikeouts and four walks in four innings.  Butler came on in relief in the fourth, and pitched three innings until Thornton returned to pitch the seventh. Butler allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out one batter and she walked three.
 
The Bluejays took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings on a pair of RBI groundouts. After a two-run home run in the third, Elmhurst scored another run in the fourth inning to make it 5-0.
 
Yergler hit a home run to center field that knocked in Leone in the fifth inning to make the score 5-2. The Bluejays scored once more in the sixth to provide the final run of the game.
 
Katie Boals (5-8) started and got the win for Elmhurst. She allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in seven innings of work.
 
Wheaton will host the University of Chicago in a non-conference doubleheader Thursday at 3 p.m. at Ruth Leedy Field.