Clermont, Fla. – Wheaton softball earned a pair of wins Monday morning in Florida at The Spring Games, as they defeated Becker College (1-4) by a score of 5-1, and then rallied to defeat Ursinus College (3-3) in eight innings, 9-7. Those victories bring the Thunder's 2020 record to 3-1 on their season-opening spring break trip.

In the first game of the day against Becker, freshman pitcher Emilie Gist again threw a strong, complete game for Wheaton, allowing just four hits, one earned run, and four walks with six strikeouts. Gist also helped her own cause from the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Claire Busch also went 2-for-3 for the Thunder, with one RBI and one run, and four other Wheaton batters each earned a hit against the Hawks.

All of Wheaton's offensive damage came in the first two innings, as Janette Oh led off the game with a single to third, follow by an Ashley Carter double to right center, before Gist drove both runners in with a single up the middle. A few batters later, with Estelle Rios at third and Claire Busch at second, senior Melody Rodriguez singled to center to score Rios and secure a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning.

In the second inning, both Thunder runs were scored on a two-out rally that began with Carter drawing a walk. Due to a Hawks throwing error, Gist reached base safely and advanced to second, scoring Carter, and then Busch singled to right, allowing Gist to score.

Becker's only run came in the top of the third, thanks to a walk and a pair of singles, and Wheaton controlled the rest of the game defensively to earn the 5-1 victory.

As a team, the Thunder tallied eight hits, four RBI, one walk, two strikeouts, and one error. The Hawks earned four hits, one RBI, four walks and six strikeouts.

The second game of the day was a dramatic win for Wheaton against Ursinus, as the Bears held a 5-1 lead going into the top of the seventh inning, before Wheaton scored four in the seventh and four in the eighth to win 9-7 in extra innings.

After two scoreless innings, Ursinus jumped on the board in both the third and fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Wheaton earned one run in the top of the fifth, thanks to back-to-back doubles from sophomores Elle Lindblad and Oh, before Ursinus tacked on an insurance run in their half of the fifth.

Wheaton's big rally started with a lead-off single from Gist, followed by another single from Busch. Rios drew a walk to load the bases, and Gist scored when Elise O'Neil grounded out to short. A Sydney Heinrich single to center scored Busch, a Rodriguez groundout scored Rios, and then a Lindblad double scored Heinrich to tie the game at 5-5.

After Wheaton held Ursinus scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, the Thunder rallied for another four runs in the top of the eighth. Following international tie breaker rules, Wheaton began with a runner on second base. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases with Oh, Gist and Busch, Rios singled to drive in one run, followed by O'Neil who singled to drive in two more. Heinrich then grounded out to short to drive in Rios and add one more insurance run, giving Wheaton a little more cushion with a 9-5 lead.

Although the Bears began a rally of their own and scored two runs in the bottom of the frame, the Thunder managed to get out of a one-out, bases loaded jam with back-to-back groundouts to secure the win.

As a team, Wheaton earned 15 hits with 9 RBI, five walks, and just three strikeouts. Ursinus tallied 13 hits, six RBI, two walks and three strikeouts. The Thunder also committed four defensive errors compared to the Bears' one.

Oh highlighted Wheaton's offensive explosion, going 4-for-5 with one run and one RBI. O'Neil drove in three RBI on 2-for-5 hitting, while Heinrich drove in two while also going 2-for-5 with one run. Gist went 2-for-2 with two runs and two walks, and Lindblad had a 2-for-4 day with one RBI.

In the circle for the Thunder, Ashley Carter tossed all eight innings, allowing 13 hits, seven runs (two earned), two walks and three strikeouts.

Wheaton softball returns to spring break action Tuesday afternoon in Clermont. The Thunder will face Plymouth State University (4-2) at 4:15 p.m., followed by the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg (2-2) at 6:15 p.m.