Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team (10-10) swept its second-consecutive doubleheader on Tuesday with a pair of non-conference wins against Trinity Christian College. The Thunder won the first game 8-1 and Wheaton won the second game 2-1 in eight innings.
Wheaton topped the Trolls 8-1 in the first game as the Thunder scored eight runs, on 11 hits, with one error and TCC tallied one run, on four hits with two errors. Thunder starting pitcher
Kelly Thornton earned the win in seven innings of work in the circle. The senior allowed one run, on four hits, with six strikeouts and no walks.
Ashley Carter,
Melody Rodriguez and
Hannah Clark each collected two hits in the win. Carter drove in three runs and Clark scored twice in the win. Carter hit a double and a triple in the game.
Melissa Meiners belted a home run and Clark added a double.
Each team scored one run in their respective portion of the third inning. Clark hit a one-out single in the bottom of the third inning and she scored on the next at bat as Carter belted a triple to right field. The hosts' lead increased to 3-1 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Janette Oh drove in a run with a RBI-single and the Thunder added an unearned run on a Trinity Christian error in the inning.
Wheaton scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a solo home run by Meiners that increased the Thunder advantage to 4-1. Wheaton scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to increase the hosts' lead to 8-1. Clark and Carter hit back-to-back doubles in the inning as Carter's two-bagger drove in a pair of runs.
Claire Busch and Rodriguez hit RBI-singles in the inning to account for Wheaton's 8-1 final score.
Wheaton won the second game 2-1 as the Thunder scored two runs, on two hits, with four errors and Trinity Christian tallied one run, on six hits, with one error. Starting pitcher
Maddy Whitmer allowed one run, with no earned runs, in three innings of work. She scattered three hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Thornton (7-5) earned the win in five innings of scoreless relief. She allowed three hits, with two strikeouts and no walks.
Morgan Ryan and
Maddie Craver accounted for Wheaton's two hits in the victory.
The Trolls scored a go-ahead run in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead on the Thunder. Ryan led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double and was replaced by pinch runner
Abby Hancock. Hancock scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Carter to tie the game at 1-1.
The contest went to extra innings, using the international tiebreaker, placing a runner at second base to start each segment of the eighth inning. Thornton held TCC hitless in the top of the eighth inning, stranding the possible go-ahead run at third base. Carter was placed at second base for Wheaton in the bottom of the eighth inning. Craver led off the inning with a long triple rightfield that brought Carter home for the game-winning run.
Wheaton travels to Benedictine on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader against the Eagles. Tomorrow's twinbill starts at 3:00 p.m. in Lisle.
