GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 PICTURED ABOVE: Kelly Thornton hit two doubles in Friday's doubleheader.

Decatur, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team dropped a pair of games in a conference doubleheader at Millikin University on Friday afternoon. Millikin won the opener 8-1 and the Big Blue secured the sweep with a 7-0 victory in the second game.
 
Millikin won the opener 8-1 as the Big Blue scored eight runs, on nine hits, with one error. Wheaton tallied one run, on five hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Maddy Whitmer worked 1/3 of an inning. The freshman allowed three runs, including two earned runs, on no hits, with one walk and no strikeouts. Kelly Thornton pitched 5-2/3 innings for the guests as she allowed five runs, on nine hits, with two strikeouts.

Thornton hit a double to help the effort of the Thunder offense. Hannah Clark, Megan Neuhaus, Ali Kent and Julia Arthur each added singles for the guests.

Millikin gained an early 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the first inning and hosts added three runs in the bottom of the second inning for a 7-0 Millikin lead.

The Big Blue added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning for an 8-0 Millikin lead. Clark hit a two-out single to right field in the top of the fifth inning and she scored on the next at bat when Thornton connected with a double to center field. Clark's run made the score 8-1 in favor of Millikin.

Millikin won the second game 7-0 as the hosts scored seven runs, on 12 hits, with zero errors and Wheaton tallied no runs, on five hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Kendall Kehres worked seven innings in the circle. Kehres allowed seven runs, on 12 hits, with one strikeout.

Thornton hit her 15^th double of the season in the nightcap. Thornton's effort is the second-highest single-season doubles total in Wheaton history and is just two doubles short of Lesley Guenard's 2011 school-record 17 doubles. Thornton was 2-for-3 in the matchup. Neuhaus, Morgan Ryan and Beka Behrens each contributed singles for the guests.

Millikin scored once in the top of the first inning and added two runs in the top of the second inning to give the hosts a 3-0 lead after the first two innings. Millikin scored twice in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 4-0. The Big Blue added a run in the top of the sixth inning and another in the seventh inning to account for the 7-0 final score.

Wheaton travels to Bandits Stadium in Rosemont, Illinois on Tuesday, April 17 for a CCIW matchup with Elmhurst College. The doubleheader against the Bluejays is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.