Lisle, Ill. – The Thunder softball team traveled to Benedictine University on Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader against the Eagles. Benedictine rallied to pick up an 11-10 victory in a chilly and rain-soaked opening contest. The second game was postponed due to the weather and field conditions. At this time no makeup date for the second game has been announced.
 
Benedictine scored 11 runs, on 12 hits, with six errors and Wheaton plated 10 runs on 11 hits with two errors in today's contest. Thunder starting pitcher Emilie Gist (1-1) worked 6-2/3 innings as she allowed 11 runs, with three earned runs, on 12 hits, with three strikeouts and six walks.
Benedictine starter Alexandra Loizon pitched 2-1/3 innings, with eight runs, including five earned runs, on six hits with two walks and one strikeout. Ashley Fisher (1-0) pitched 4-2/3 of relief for the Eagles as she allowed two earned runs on five hits with one strikeout.  

Ashley Carter (PICTURED LEFT) was 3-for-4 at the plate for the Thunder with one run scored. Melissa Meiners had a 2-for-4 effort at the plate. Paige Andrews drove in five runs, with a 2-for-5 effort, including a double. Janette Oh hit a triple, stole a base, scored twice and drove in one run. Alex Hilton drove in two runs with a double in the contest.

Wheaton scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Hilton belted a two-run double to left centerfield for the key hit in the inning. Benedictine led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to trim Wheaton's advantage to 2-1 through one inning.

The Thunder added two more runs in the top of the second inning. Andrews drove in two runs with a RBI-single to leftfield to extend the Thunder lead to 4-1. Benedictine added a run in the bottom of the second as Wheaton led 4-2.

Sydney Heinrich hit a RBI-single in the top of the third inning and Andrews hit a three-run double to clear with the bases loaded as Wheaton extended its lead to 8-2 in the top of the third inning. The Thunder added a run in the top of the fourth inning and led the Eagles 9-2 through four innings.

The rain began coming down in the fifth inning of the contest. Benedictine scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to trim Wheaton's lead to 9-5 as the two teams headed to the seventh inning. Heinrich was on first base when Oh cracked a hit through the middle of the infield that appeared to be a single. However, the ball hit the lip of the infield and vaulted over the head of the Eagles' centerfielder as Oh reached third on a triple and Heinrich scored to extend Wheaton's lead to 10-5.

Benedictine batted in the bottom of the seventh inning as the rain came down increasingly harder and field conditions deteriorated. The Eagles took advantage of a Wheaton error, collected five hits and capitalized on some errant pitches to rally with six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in earning the 11-10 victory.

Wheaton returns home on Friday at 2:30 p.m. for a non-conference doubleheader against Aurora University at Ruth Leedy Field.