PICTURED ABOVE: Maddy Bonetto drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Wheaton, Ill. - The Thunder softball team split a doubleheader against Aurora University on Monday afternoon at Ruth Leedy Field. Wheaton rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn a 5-4 walk-off win against the Spartans in the opener. Aurora won the second game 7-4.
Wheaton earned the 5-4 victory in today's first game as the Thunder scored five runs, on nine hits, with two errors and Aurora scored four runs, on seven hits, with one error. Kendall Kehres (3-6) earned the win for the Thunder in seven innings in the circle. Kehres scattered seven hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. She allowed four runs in the game, including two earned runs.
Julia Arthur (PICTURED LEFT) was 2-for-2 with a RBI in the opener. Sage Miller was 2-for-4, with two runs scored and a RBI. Megan Neuhaus hit a double with a run scored.
Aurora scored three runs in the top of the first inning to gain the early 3-0 lead. The Spartans added a run in the top of the fifth inning to give the guests a 4-0 advantage. Wheaton scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to trim Aurora's lead to 4-1. Miller hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth and scored three batters later when she alertly scampered from third base to home plate when Aurora threw out a Thunder runner on a caught stealing at second base.
Sophie Kent sparked Wheaton's rally in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-out single to right field in the seventh. Hannah Clark singled to advance Kent to second base. Miller singled through the middle of the infield to score Kent and cut the Aurora lead to 4-2. Neuhaus drew a walk to load the bases. Arthur's infield single was handled at third base but the throw couldn't be made as she was safe at first and Clark scored to trim the guests' lead to 4-3. Jaclyn McLean was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as Miller scored to tie the game at 4-4. Maddy Bonetto hit a single that got past the shortstop and into left field as Neuhaus scored the game-winning run.
Aurora won today's second game 7-4 as the Spartans scored seven runs, on nine hits with one error and Wheaton tallied four runs, on six hits with three errors. McLean took the loss in 3-2/3 innings of work. She allowed five runs, including two earned runs, on five hits with one strikeout. Kehres pitched 3-1/3 innings of relief.
Clark collected four of Wheaton's six hits in the game as she was 4-for-4 with a double. The sophomore scored twice, drove in one run and stole a base. Melody Rodriguez hit a double, scored a run and drove in one run.
Aurora scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Clark hit a leadoff single for the Thunder in the bottom of the first inning and she scored three batters later on a sacrifice fly by Arthur to tie the game at 1-1.
Wheaton took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Rodriguez hit a RBI-double in the inning to give Wheaton a 2-1 lead and Clark increased the Thunder lead to 3-1 on a RBI-single to right field.
The Spartans gained their first lead of the game at 5-3 thanks to four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Aurora extended its lead to 6-3 with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Clark led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double down the left field line and she scored on a single by Neuhaus (PICTURED RIGHT) to trim the Aurora lead to 6-4. The Spartans scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to account for the 7-4 final score.
Wheaton remains home for its next matchup when the Thunder hosts St. Mary's (Ind.) for a doubleheader on Friday. Friday's twinbill at Ruth Leedy Field begins at 3:00 p.m.
