Rock Island, Ill. - The Wheaton softball team traveled to the Quad Cities on Saturday afternoon for a conference doubleheader against Augustana (11-25, 8-20 CCIW). The Vikings won the first game today 4-2 and Augustana completed the sweep with an 11-0 victory in five innings in the second game. Wheaton is now 14-22 in the season and 11-19 in conference play.
In Augustana's 4-2 victory in game one, the Vikings scored four runs, on eight hits, with zero runs and the Thunder plated two runs, on seven hits, with no runs.
Emilie Gist (8-13) pitched six innings for the Thunder, with four earned runs, on eight hits, with two strikeouts and three walks.
Melissa Meiners was 2-for-3 at the plate, with a double and a run driven in.
Janette Oh was 2-for-4, with a run scored.
Claire Busch,
Ashley Carter and
Elise O'Neil each hit singles for the Thunder.
The two team battled through a scoreless tie until the Vikings scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. The Vikings added a run in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 4-0.
Wheaton scored twice in the top of the sixth to cut the Augustana lead to 4-2. Oh led off the sixth inning with a single to leftfield and she scored three batters later on a two-out single to leftfield by Meiners.
Sydney Broderick entered the game to pich run for Meiners. Busch connected with a single to right field that brought Broderick home.
Wheaton attempted a rally in the top of the seventh inning as the Thunder had the bases loaded with two outs, but Augustana pitched out of the jam to win the game.
Augustana won today's second game 11-0 as the hosts scored 11 runs, on 13 hits, with zero errors and Wheaton had no runs, on two hits, with one error.
Alese Antonello (4-6) pitched 1-1/3 innings for Wheaton. She allowed six runs, including five earned runs, on four hits, with one strikeout and three walks. O'Neil pitched 3-1/3 innings of relief, with five earned runs, on nine hits.
Maddy Whitmer pitched 1/3 of an inning of relief for the guests. Singles by Meiners and Busch accounted for Wheaton two hits in the game.
The Vikings scored six runs in the top of the second inning. Augustana added a run in the top of the third to increase its lead to 7-0. The hosts scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning as the game ended after five innings.
Wheaton heads into the
CCIW Softball Tournament on Thursday, May 6. The seeds and site for the tournament have yet to be finalized.
