PICTURED ABOVE: Senior Ellen Radandt blasted a walkoff home run to give Wheaton a 2-1 victory in extra innings in today's first game.

Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton College softball team (21-8), ranked 24^th in the most recent NFCA Division III Coaches Poll, split a non-conference doubleheader with Hope College at home on Monday afternoon. Wheaton rallied for a 2-1 win in nine innings in today's first game. Hope secured the split with a 7-4 victory in the second game.

Wheaton won today's first game 2-1 in nine innings. The Thunder scored two runs, on six hits, with one error and Hope tallied one run, on three hits with one error. Hope scored its lone run in the top of the second inning as the Flying Dutch registered two of their three hits for the game in the inning to take the 1-0 lead. Hope had one hit in the first inning and two hits in the second inning; and then Thunder starting pitcher Katie Thornton held the guests hitless for the remainder of the game (23 at bats).

Senior Megan Neuhaus drew a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Senior Emily Bonga (PICTURED LEFT) followed in the next at bat with a pinch-hit single. The ball went past a Hope outfielder and allowed Newhaus to tie the game at 1-1.

Leadoff hitter Ellen Radandt won the game for the Thunder in the bottom of the ninth inning as she belted a solo home run over the right field fence to give Wheaton the 2-1 victory.

Katie Thornton (15-5) earned the win in nine innings. Thornton (PICTURED RIGHT) allowed one earned run, on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Hope starter Sydney Jones pitched seven innings and allowed no earned runs, with one total run, on four hits, with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Hope's Katie Singer (2-1) took the loss in one inning of relief as she allowed one run on two hits.

Senior centerfielder Katie Yergler was 2-for-4 at the plate. Ellen Radandt, Emily Bonga, Kelly Thornton and Megan Neuhaus each collected a hit for the hosts.

Hope won the second game 7-4 as the guests scored seven runs, on 15 hits with four errors and Wheaton registered four runs, on six hits with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Abby Butler (1-1) took the loss in one inning of work. She allowed three runs, on five hits, with one walk. Kendall Kehres worked 2-1/3 innings of relief and allowed three runs, on five hits. Jaclyn McLean pitched 2/3 of an inning of scoreless relief, allowing one hit. Katie Thornton tossed three innings of relief, allowing one run, on four hits, with one strikeout.

Hope starter Kate Laverty (9-3) pitched 4-2/3 to earn the win. She allowed four runs, including three earned runs, on four hits with one strikeout. Maddie Bellew pitched 1-1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one run. Katie Singer picked up her second save of the season in one inning of scoreless relief.

Bonga was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Alyssa Leonard was 2-for-4 in the game as she drove in two of Wheaton's four runs and hit a double.Katie and Kelly Thornton each registered a hit in the contest.
Hope scored one run in the top of the first inning and added three more runs in the top of the second to take a 4-0 lead. Wheaton closed the gap with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut the guests' lead to 4-3. Bonga led off the third inning with a single Hannah Clark reached safely on a fielder's choice that moved Bonga to third base. Bonga and Clark each scored on a RBI-double to centerfield by Leonard. Leonard stole third base and a Hope error on the attempted throw to third allowed Leonard to score Wheaton's third run of the inning.

Hope extended its lead to 6-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Wheaton trimmed the guests' lead to 6-4 with a Thunder run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kelly Thornton hit a one-out double to left center field in the inning and scored on a RBI-single by her sister Katie.

Hope scored an additional run in the top of the sixth inning to increase its lead to 7-4. The Flying Dutch held Wheaton hitless over the final two innings to secure the 7-4 victory.  
Wheaton will travel to North Central College on Thursday for a key CCIW matchup with the conference-leading Cardinals.