Bloomington, Ill. - The Wheaton softball team, the No. 7 seed battled No. 9 seed Elmhurst (10-22) on Saturday afternoon in an elimination game at the 2021 CCIW Softball Tournament. The teams needed extra innings to determine a winner as the Thunder used a three-run eighth inning to edge the Bluejays 10-8. Wheaton (15-23) will play No. 5 seed North Central (21-19) next Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Millikin University in another elimination game when the tournament resumes.
Wheaton topped Elmhurst this afternoon with 10 runs, on 10 hits and one errors, while the Bluejays had eight runs, on 15 hits with three errors.
Emilie Gist started the game in the circle for the Thunder. In one inning she allowed three runs, on four hits, with one walk and one strikeout.
Alese Antonello (5-6) earned the victory in seven innings for relief as she allowed five runs on 11 hits, with one strikeout and two walks.
Claire Busch (PICTURED LEFT) was 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.
Emilie Gist was 2-for-4, with a double, two runs scored and a RBI.
Ashley Carter was 2-for-5, with a home run, two RBI and one run scored.
Paige Andrews and
Melissa Meiners each hit a double for the Thunder, with Meiners driving in three runs.
Janette Oh scored three times for the 'Orange and Blue'.
Wheaton scored a run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead. Oh drew a leadoff walk to open the game and she scored two batters later when Gist hit a one-out double down the leftfield line. The Bluejays scored twice in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 advantage. Elmhurst added a run in the bottom of the second inning to extend its lead to 3-1.
Wheaton plated two runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Andrews led off the top of the fourth with a double to left centerfield and Busch belted a home run over the leftfield fence to tie the contest. Elmhurst responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to retake the lead at 6-3.
Wheaton scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the contest at 6-6. Oh opened the top of the fifth inning with a leadoff walk. Carter homered to centerfield in the next at bat to trim the Bluejays' lead to 6-5. Gist followed Carter's home run with a single and she scored three batters later on a single by Busch.
Wheaton scored on run in the top of the sixth inning to take a 7-6 lead.
Sydney Heinrich scored as the result of an Elmhurst error in the sixth to give Wheaton its first lead since the top of the first inning. Elmhurst tallied a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7. Neither team scored in the seventh inning as the contest went into extra innings.
Heinrich and Oh each reached base in back-to-back at bats on Elmhurst errors. Gist then followed with a walk to load the bases. Meiners (PICTURED RIGHT) stepped up to the plate and blasted a double to the gap in left centerfield to drive in all three baserunners to give Wheaton a 10-7 lead. The Bluejays scored one run in the bottom of the eighth, but could not complete the rally as the Thunder emerged with the 10-8.
