CLERMONT, FLA. – Wheaton softball's win streak extended to five games after a pair of victories Friday night to close out the Thunder's week at The Spring Games in Florida. In the first contest, Wheaton (5-2) defeated Ohio Wesleyan University (1-6) by a final score of 5-1, and in the second game, Wheaton (6-2) earned a 9-4 victory over Gordon College (3-5). Because of two canceled games on Thursday due to weather, the Thunder will head home Saturday having played eight games on their spring break trip, rather than the anticipated 10 contests.
 
Wheaton vs. Ohio Wesleyan
 
In the penultimate game of their 2022 spring break trip, the Thunder used a number of extra-base hits as well as a pair of home runs to defeat the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops 5-1. Both teams battled with a long-ball approach -- together recording 28 fly-outs -- but it was Wheaton who finished with the offensive advantage, tallying 10 hits to the Bishops' seven.
 
As they've done several times in the past few games, Wheaton struck early, jumping on the scoreboard right away in the top of the first inning. With just one out in the frame, Janette Oh (PICTURED ABOVE) drove a ball deep over the shallow right-fielder's head, earning herself a triple. Not to be outdone, however, teammate Emilie Gist stepped to the plate and drilled a two-run homerun over the left-center field fence, giving the Thunder the 2-0 lead to start the contest.
 
Despite a handful of singles for both teams over the next few innings, and a scoring threat for the Thunder in the third, the 2-0 score stayed stagnant until the top of the fourth, when Wheaton used another homerun to boost its lead. With two outs on the board, Madison Forberg singled to left field, and then Estelle Rios (PICTURED RIGHT) stepped to the plate and drilled an opposite-field deep shot over the fence to give herself two RBI and open the Thunder lead to 4-0.
 
At the top of the next frame, Ashley Carter led off with a double to right field, advanced to third on a grounder back to the pitcher from Janette Oh, and then after an OWU pitching change, Carter scored on a single to left-center from Gist, extending Wheaton's lead to 5-0.
 
Ohio Wesleyan used a single and a double to score its lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Wheaton threatened again in the seventh -- almost scoring with one out and two on when Paige Andrews doubled down the left field line, but a stellar throw from the Bishops' left fielder beat out Oh on the race to home. The Thunder were able to hold OWU to just one hit in a scoreless bottom of the seventh to close out the 5-1 win and extend their early-season record to 5-2.
 
Carter, Oh, and Gist were the offensive leaders for Wheaton, each recording two hits and one run. Gist added three RBI thanks in part to her two-run homer. Andrews, Forberg, and Rios added one hit apiece, with Forberg and Rios also tallying one run each, and Rios chipping in the two RBI on her homerun. As a team, the Thunder had 10 hits with two strikeouts and one walk, and the Wheaton defense held strong with no errors.
 
Alese Antonello threw all seven innings in the circle for the Thunder, giving up one earned run on seven hits, with one walk and three strikeouts.
 
Wheaton vs. Gordon
 
In the second game on Friday, this one under the lights, Wheaton took on the Gordon College Fighting Scots. The Thunder came away with a 9-4 win, but despite the five-run difference, this offensive slugfest was a battle to the end. Both teams tallied nine hits in the contest, but the difference came down to two major stats: Gordon had two costly defensive errors, while Wheaton had none; and the Thunder left five runners stranded over the course of the game, while the Scots stranded 10.
 
Continuing their early-scoring theme, Wheaton plated two runners in the bottom of the first inning to jumpstart the game's scoring. Carter led off the game with a single and advanced to second when Oh drew a walk. Both runners advanced again on Gist single, but an error from Gordon's left fielder allowed Carter to score. Andrews (PICTURED LEFT) then laid down a sacrifice bunt to allow Oh to score on the squeeze play, giving the Thunder an early 2-0 lead.
 
Gordon cut that lead in half in the top of the third inning, but Wheaton responded with a three-run effort in the bottom of the third – a scoring surge that would not have happened if not for a crucial catcher interference call on the Scots.
 
With two outs and runners on first and second, Busch hit a routine grounder and appeared to record the third out of the inning. However, the home plate umpire ruled interference on Gordon's catcher, allowing Busch to reach first safely and giving the Thunder a two-out, bases-loaded opportunity. Freshman Olivia Nahorniak stepped to the plate and embraced the big moment,  driving a bases-clearing double to left center and extending Wheaton's lead to 5-1.
 
Gordon answered again in the next frame, narrowing the lead to 5-2, but Wheaton answered again: Sydney Heinrich drew a walk, advanced on a single from Carter and moved to third on a fielder's choice play that retired Carter at second but left Oh at first. When Oh stole second with two outs, and Gordon attempted the throw-down, Heinrich was able to score from third and give Wheaton a 6-2 lead. One inning later, in the bottom of the fifth, Busch gave the Thunder even more of a buffer by crushing a deep home run to center field, bringing the score to 7-2.
 
Refusing to go away quietly, Gordon took advantage of two walks, two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to start a mini-rally of their own. The Scots scored two runs and threatened with another runner on third before Wheaton got out of the frame, the lead now cut to 7-4. But once again, Wheaton responded in the bottom half of the inning. With Carter on first after being hit by a pitch, Oh doubled to allow her to score before advancing to third on a Gist grounder. A cente rfield sacrifice fly from Andrews scored Oh and gave the Thunder their final run of the game, and then Alese Antonello struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure Wheaton's 9-4 victory.
 
Carter went three-for-three in the contest and scored two runs. Nahorniak collected two hits, including her three-run double, and Oh, Gist, Busch, and Forberg each added a hit of their own. Oh also scored three runs, Busch scored another two, and Andrews was responsible for two RBI. As a team, the Thunder earned their nine runs on nine hits, with two walks and just one strikeout.
 
In the circle for Wheaton, a pair of pitchers split the game almost equally. Gist threw 3.1 innings for Wheaton, allowing two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Antonello finished the final 3.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, with three strikeouts and two walks. Behind them, in the field, the Wheaton defense again held steady with no errors on the night.
 
The Thunder fly home on Saturday and will readjust to Illinois temperatures for a few days before heading to Aurora University on Wednesday, March 16, for a doubleheader. Those games are scheduled for 3 and 5 p.m.