GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 Clermont, Fla. – The Wheaton College softball team split its two games on Monday evening in Florida. The Thunder rallied for a 7-4 victory against Potsdam State in their second game of the night. Wheaton opened Monday's action with an 11-9 loss against Lake Forest College. Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday with one game each against Becker College and Millsaps College.
 
Wheaton earned the 7-4 victory against SUNY Potsdam as the Thunder scored seven runs, on nine hits, with one error and the Bears scored four runs, on 11 hits, with one error. Senior Kelly Thornton earned the victory in seven innings of work. Thornton allowed four runs, on 11 hits, with two walks and three strikeouts.

Shortstop Ashley Carter was 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Thornton helped her own cause with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate, hitting a double. She scored a run and drove in another.

SUNY Potsdam scored a run in the top of the first inning to gain the early lead. The Bears added three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-0 advantage. The Thunder furiously rallied with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. Thornton sparked the rally with a RBI double to left field. Melissa Meiners drove in a pair of runs with a single to center field. Hannah Clark tied the game at 4-4 with a RBI single. Maddie Craver drove in the go-ahead run and Janette Oh added two insurance runs with a double to left centerfield. Thornton held SUNY Potsdam scoreless in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the 7-4 victory for the Thunder.

Lake Forest was an 11-9 victor in the opening game of the day for the Thunder. Carter started the game in the circle for the Thunder. She pitched 3-2/3 innings, allowing 11 runs, with eight earned runs, on eight hits, with four walks and four strikeouts. Oh pitched 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief as she scattered three hits.

Carter was 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI. Claire Busch was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Melody Rodriguez had a 2-for-4 effort and Clark was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in.

Lake Forest scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Wheaton took a 5-2 lead with five runs in the top of the second inning. The rally was highlighted by a three-run single for Carter. Lake Forest added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to trim Wheaton's lead to 5-4.

The Foresters scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take and 11-5 lead. The Thunder scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to account for the 11-9 final score. Craver hit a RBI-double in the inning and Clark, Thornton and Carter each had a RBI-single in the inning.