PICTURED ABOVE: Kelly Thornton collected four hits in Saturday's doubleheader, including two extra-base hits.
Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team hosted Millikin University in the conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Ruth Leedy Field. Millikin swept the Thunder with a 6-0 Big Blue win in the opener and the guests rallied for a 5-4 victory in the second game.
Millikin earned the 6-0 victory in the first game as the guests scored six runs, on six hits, with one error and had no runs, on three hits with three errors. Thunder starting pitcher
Kendall Kehres took the loss in 6-1/3 innings of work. Kehres allowed three runs, including two earned runs, on three hits with three walks and one strikeout.
Abby Butler pitched 2/3 of an inning of relief. She allowed three runs, on three hits. Sophomore
Kelly Thornton had two of Wheaton's three hits in the game, with a single and a double.
Julia Arthur added a single for the hosts.
Millikin defeated Wheaton 5-4 in eight innings in the second game. The Big Blue scored five runs, on nine hits, with two errors. Wheaton scored four runs, on six hits, committing five errors.
Jaclyn McLean took the loss in six inning as she allowed one run, on six hits, with one walk. Kehres pitched an inning of relief, allowing one unearned run, on one hit. Thornton pitched 1/3 of an inning of relief, allowing three unearned runs, on two hits and one walk.
Thornton was 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple and two RBI. McLean and
Melody Rodriguez each hit a double for the hosts.
Wheaton broke a scoreless tie with one run in the top of the third inning. Thornton blasted a RBI-triple to right centerfield that brought
Sophie Kent home for the go-ahead run. McLean's two-run double to centerfield in the top of the fourth inning increased Wheaton's lead to 3-0. The Thunder added another run in the top of the fifth inning as Thornton's RBI-single drove in
Abby Hancock to extend the hosts' lead to 4-0. Millikin scored its first run in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut Wheaton's lead to 4-1.
Two Wheaton errors in the bottom of the seventh inning proved costly as the Big Blue scored three unearned runs to tie the game and send the matchup to extra innings. Millikin scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game 5-4.
The Thunder travels to Hope April 4 for a non-conference doubleheader against the Flying Dutch.
