Waukesha, Wis. – The Wheaton Thunder softball team split a CCIW doubleheader at Carroll University (21-12/7-3 CCIW) on Saturday afternoon. Carroll defeated Wheaton 11-0 in five innings in today's first game and the Thunder defeated the Pioneers 7-3 in the second game. Wheaton is now 16-18 on the season, with a 7-7 record in CCIW play.
Wheaton was a 7-3 victor in today's second game as the Thunder scored seven runs, on 11 hits, with no errors and Carroll tallied three runs, on eight hits, with three errors. Starting pitcher
Kelly Thornton earned the victory to improve to 11-8 on the season in the circle. She tossed a complete game in seven innings as she allowed three runs, on eight hits, with two walks and one strikeout.
Thornton helped her own cause at the plate with a 4-for-4 effort as she hit three doubles. The senior drove in three runs and scored once.
Maddie Craver was 3-for-3 in the Wheaton win.
Carroll gained an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning. However, Wheaton responded in the bottom of the first inning as Thornton hit a RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. The Pioneers scored twice in the top of the first inning to give Carroll a 3-1 lead. The Thunder trimmed the Carroll lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning as Thornton hit her second-consecutive RBI-double.
Wheaton gained its first lead of the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Thornton led off the inning with a single and she scored on a RBI-single by
Melissa Meiners.
Morgan Ryan drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and
Maddy Bonetto added a RBI-single to give the Thunder a 5-3 at the end of the fifth inning. Ashely Carter drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning and Thornton added her third RBI-double of the game to account for the 7-3 final score.
Carroll won the first game 11-0 as the Pioneers scored 11 runs, on 14 hits, with no errors and Wheaton tallied no runs, on two hits, with zero errors. Thunder freshman
Ashley Carter pitched three innings in the circle as she allowed eight runs, on nine hits, with five walks and one strikeout.
Maddy Whitmer pitched one inning of relief as she allowed three runs, on five hits. Singles by
Claire Busch and
Morgan Ryan accounted for Wheaton's two hits in the game.
Carroll scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and added another run in the bottom of the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Pioneers added six runs in the bottom of the fourth to account for the 11-0 final score, ending the game at the game in the fifth inning.
Wheaton hosts Elmhurst in a doubleheader next Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at Ruth Leedy Field. Thursday's game is the home finale for the Thunder and will also be "Senior Day" as the program will honor its seniors between games of the doubleheader.
Note Worthy: Thornton's four hits in the nightcap gives her 174 hits in her career as she surpassed her former teammate, Christina Sandstedt's 172 career hits, for second place on the program's all-time hits list…Thornton is one hit behind the school record 175 career hits tallied by Lesley Guenard (2009-12)…in game two, Thornton also snapped her tie (with Sandstedt) for second place on Wheaton's career doubles list as she now has 49 doubles in her four seasons and is three doubles behind Guenard's team record of 52 career doubles.
