PICTURED ABOVE: Hannah Clark was 4-for-6 on Friday with three RBI and two runs scored.
Clermont, Fla. – The Wheaton softball team split the final two games of its 10-game trip to Florida on Friday. RPI (1-1) defeated the Thunder 3-1 in today's opening game. Wheaton closed out the trip with an 8-9 victory against Simpson College (10-2).
Wheaton's victory against Simpson saw the Thunder scored nine runs, in 12 hits, committing four errors and Simpson tallied eight runs, on 13 hits, with no errors. Thunder starting pitcher
Kelly Thornton tossed 3-2/3 innings, allowing four runs, on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts.
Kendall Kehres earned the win in 3-1/3 innings. She allowed four runs, including three earned runs, on seven hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Thornton was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks as she scored twice and drove in two runs.
Hannah Clark had a 2-for-3 effort with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base.
Morgan Ryan had a 2-for-4 effort with a double and two RBI.
Wheaton took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a RBI-double by Thornton. Wheaton plated four runs in the bottom of the second inning to increase its lead to 5-0. Clark hit a two-run single in the inning,
Megan Neuhaus added a RBI-double and Thornton hit a one-run single.
Simpson scored twice in the top of the third inning and added three runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 5-5. A pair of Thunder runs in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Wheaton a 7-5 lead.
Melody Rodriguez's two-run single in the inning gave Wheaton the two-run lead.
The Storm countered with three runs in the top of the sixth inning to take an 8-7 lead over the Thunder. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neuhaus and Thornton drew walks and then scored on a RBI-double to rightfield by
Morgan Ryan. The two Thunder runs gave Wheaton a 9-8 lead they held onto as Kehres shut the door on Simpson to earn the win.
RPI won today's first game 3-1 as the Engineers scored three runs, on seven hits, with three errors. Wheaton tallied one run, on six hits, committing three errors.
Kehres pitched all six innings as she allowed three runs, including one earned run, on seven hits, with four strikeouts and two walks. Clark was 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI and Neuhuas was 2-for-4 in the game.
RPI scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Wheaton tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the top of the third inning. Clark hit a RBI-single to centerfield in the third inning to account for Wheaton's run. The Engineers broke the tie with a run in the bottom of the third inning and added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth inning to account for the 3-1 final score.
