PICTURED ABOVE: Megan Neuhaus was 5-for-9 at the plate and made several key plays at shortstop on Saturday in a doubleheader at North Park.

Chicago, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team pulled off a pair of rallies on Saturday to sweep North Park (5-29, 2-10 CCIW) in a CCIW doubleheader with the Vikings. Wheaton won the first game 9-3 and the Thunder overcame a 7-1 deficit in the second game to earn an 8-7 win in nine innings.

Wheaton is now 23-12 on the year with today's sweep as the Thunder tie the school-record for wins in a single season. Additionally, the squad is 11-1 in CCIW play and has tied the program's all-time high for conference wins in a season with 11.

Wheaton earned the 9-4 win in today's opener as the Thunder scored nine runs, on nine hits, with one run and North Park plated three runs, on four hits with three errors. Katie Thornton earned the win in five innings as the Thunder starting pitcher. Thornton allowed two runs, including one earned run, on two hits, with three walks and four strikeouts. Kendall Kehres worked two innings of relief as she allowed one run, on two hits, with one walk.

Megan Neuhaus was 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Alyssa Leonard (PICTURED LEFT) was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Thornton was 2-for-3 and senior Ellen Radandt hit a home run for the second consecutive game.

The Vikings scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead and the hosts added a run in the bottom of the fourth to increase the NPU lead to 2-0. Leonard led off the top of the fifth inning with a single and Radandt blasted a home run over the fence in centerfield to tie the game at 2-2. The Thunder offense exploded for seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 9-2 lead. Leonard and Abby Coster each hit two-run singles in the inning, Emily Bonga hit a RBI-single and Lyndsey Pritchard drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. North Park scored one run in the bottom of the seventh to account for the 9-3 final score.

Wheaton earned an 8-7 win in the second game as the Thunder scored eight runs, on 14 hits, with two errors, while the Vikings tallied seven runs, on 12 hits, with two errors. Kehres started the game in the pitcher's circle as she worked 3-1/3 innings. Kehres allowed six runs, including five earned runs, on eight hits, with two walks and one strikeout. Abby Butler worked 1-1/3 innings of relief as she allowed one run, on three hits. Thornton (14-7) earned the win in 4-1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Thornton (PICTURED RIGHT) held NPU to one hit and struck out three batters.

Pritchard was 3-for-5 with a home run. Leonard was 2-for-4 with two runs and Neuhaus was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Christina Sandstedt was 2-for-4 in the game and Thornton was 2-for-5 with two RBI as she hit a home run. Radandt hit a home run for the third consecutive game. To become just the 14th player in Division III history to hit a home run in three consecutive games.

North Park scored three runs in the top of the second inning and added two more runs in the top of the third to take a 5-0 lead. Thornton hit a RBI-double in the bottom of the third inning to cut the Vikings' lead to 5-1. NPU added one run in the top of the fourth inning and another in the top of the fifth to increase the hosts' lead to 7-1. The Wheaton bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as Thornton led off with a solo home run and Pritchard followed in the next at bat with a solo homer. Sandstedt followed with a double and scored on a RBI-double by Bonga to trim the NPU lead to 7-4.

The game was on the line in the bottom of the seventh inning. Leonard led off the inning and was hit by a pitch and Neuhaus reached on a single in the next at bat. Radandt blasted a three-run home run over the fence in left centerfield to tie the game at 7-7. The game went to extra innings and after each team was scoreless in the eighth Wheaton capitalized in the bottom of the ninth. Pritchard hit a one-out double to left centerfield and was replaced by pinch runner Julia Arthur. Arthur scampered to third on a passed ball and the same at bat she scored the game-winning run on a long sacrifice fly to rightfield by Sandstedt.

The Thunder will conclude the regular season on Tuesday afternoon at Illinois Wesleyan in a critical CCIW doubleheader with CCIW Championship implications. Wheaton currently sits atop the CCIW standings at 11-1 with the doubleheader at Illinois Wesleyan remaining. North Central is next in the standings with a 10-2 record and the Cardinals will host Augustana to wrap up league play on Sunday. Illinois Wesleyan is next in the CCIW standings with a 6-2 conference record and the Titans have doubleheaders remaining with Carthage (Sunday), Elmhurst (Monday) and Wheaton (Tuesday).