PICTURED ABOVE: Senior Christina Sandstedt is greeted by her teammates following one of her two home runs in Tuesday's first game.

Wheaton, Ill. – The Thunder softball team hosted Calvin College in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon for Wheaton's first home games of the 2016 season. The Thunder utilized the steady pitching of Katie Thornton and two Christina Sandstedt home runs for an 8-1 victory in the first game. Calvin topped the Thunder 8-0 in the nightcap to snap Wheaton's win streak at six games. Wheaton (12-4) will host Benedictine on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.  
 
Wheaton earned the 8-1 victory in today's first game as the Thunder scored eight runs, on 10 hits with no errors and the Knights plated one run, on four hits, with two errors. Katie Thornton (7-3) earned the win in seven innings. Thornton (PICTURED LEFT) allowed just one run, on four hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts. Sandstedt was 2-for-3 with a walk. She belted a pair of home runs as she drove in four runs and scored twice. Katie Yergler was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI. Katie Thornton helped her own cause with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate that included a double.

Calvin scored its lone run of the game in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead on the Thunder. Wheaton countered with four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Emily Bonga led off the bottom of the third with a double and scored on a Calvin error on the next at bat. Alyssa Leonard drove in one run with a RBI-single through the middle of the infield to give Wheaton a 2-1 lead. Yergler added a RBI-single and Megan Neuhaus drew a bases loaded walk to extend the hosts lead to 4-1.

Sandstedt belted a three-run home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the fourth inning to increase the Thunder lead to 7-1. Sandstedt belted her second home run of the night in the bottom of the sixth inning when she hit a homer off the scoreboard in centerfield. Sandstedt's second round tripper accounted for the 8-1 final score.

Calvin led early in picking up the 8-0 victory in tonight's second game. The Knights scored eight runs, on 14 hits, with no errors and Wheaton was scoreless, on two hits with no errors. Starting pitcher Jaclyn McLean faced seven batters to open the game. McLean gave up five runs, on five hits with two walks. Abby Butler allowed three runs in three innings of relief as she scattered seven hits with one walk. Katie Thornton worked two innings of scoreless relief, with two hits and five strikeouts.

Katie Thornton and Kelly Thornton each collected a single to account for Wheaton's two hits in the outing.

The Knights scored five runs in the top of the first inning to take the early lead. Calvin added a run in the top of the third inning and two more runs in the top of the fourth to earn the 8-0 victory in five innings.   

Note Worthy: Sandstedt's back-to-back home runs in the first game marked the 21st time in Division III history that a player hit homers in consecutive plate appearances, an effort also accomplished by Katie Thornton against Elmhurst on April 21.