Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton softball team hosted Carthage College (13-11, 11-9 CCIW) on Saturday afternoon for a CCIW doubleheader at Ruth Leedy Field. Wheaton honored its seniors between games of today's doubleheader (PICTURED LEFT).

The Thunder won the first game 5-1 and Carthage picked up a 6-5 victory in nine innings for the nightcap. Wheaton is now 12-16 on the season, with a 9-13 record in conference play.

Wheaton won today's opener 5-1 with five runs, on nine hits, with one error and Carthage scored one run, on five hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher (2-4) Alese Antonello earned the win in seven innings. She scattered five hits, with one unearned run, two strikeouts and one walk. Ashley Carter was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a RBI.

Wheaton put a run on the scoreboard with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Carter hit a one-out double and scored two batters later on a single down the rightfield line by Emilie Gist to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The Thunder added four runs in the bottom of the first inning to extend the lead to 5-0. Paige Andrews led off the top of the second inning with a double to leftfield and she scored two batters later on a single up the middle by Madison Forberg. Janette Oh hit a single through the middle of the infield that brought Forberg home and Sydney Heinrich scored on a Carthage error on the same play. Carter hit a RBI-single that drove Oh home and accounted for Wheaton's 5-0 lead. Carthage tallied an unearned run in the top of the sixth inning to account for the 5-1 final score.

Carthage won today's second game with six runs, on 14 hits, with one error and Wheaton scored five runs, on nine hits, with two errors. Gist (8-9) started the game in the circle for the Thunder in 8-1/3 innings. She allowed six runs, including four earned runs, on 14 hits, with nine strikeouts and three walks.

Carter (PICTURED RIGHT) was 2-for-4, with a double and a run scored. Andrews was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double. Gist was 2-for-5, with a double and a run scored.

Wheaton scored three runs in the top of the second inning when Oh belted a two-out double to left centerfield with bases loaded. Oh's double gave Wheaton a 3-0 lead. Carthage gained the lead with four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-3 advantage. The Firebirds extended their lead to 5-3 with a run in the bottom of the sixth.

Wheaton scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 5-5. Oh led off the seventh inning with a walk and she advanced to third on a double by Carter in the next at bat. Gist hit a two-run double to rightfield that scored Oh and Carter to tie the game at 5-5.

Carthage hit a one-out double that scored a baserunner from first base in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Firebirds the 6-5 victory.

Wheaton travels to Millikin on Tuesday for a CCIW doubleheader against the Big Blue in Decatur.