Chicago, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team returned to action on Thursday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader at University of Chicago (10-11) under windy conditions. The Maroons edged the Thunder 1-0 in the opener and the hosts completed the sweep with a 3-2 victory in the second game. Wheaton (11-15) returns home on Saturday to host Rockford in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ruth Leedy Field.
UChicago won the first game, a pitchers duel, 1-0. The Maroons scored one run, on four hits, committing one error. Wheaton had no runs, on two hits, with no errors. Thunder starting pitcher
Emilie Gist allowed one run, on four hits, with nine strikeouts and just one walk.
Estelle Rios and
Olivia Nahorniak each collected a single to account for Wheaton's two hits in the game. UChicago infielder Savannah Pinedo hit a fourth-inning home run over the fence in centerfield to account for the lone run in the game.
The Maroons completed the sweep by winning the second game, 3-2. Chicago scored three runs, on five hits, with one error and the Thunder tallied two runs, on seven hits, with one error. Thunder starter
Alese Antonello (5-9) pitched six innings, as she allowed three runs, including two earned runs. Antonello scattered five hits, struck out one and walked four.
Antonello helped her own cause with a double.
Paige Andrews,
Nicole Allen,
Elizabeth Meyer,
Sydney Heinrich, Gist, and Nahorniak each collected a single. Gist and Heinrich each stole a base.
The game was scoreless until the Maroons scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Nahorniak hit an RBI-single in the top of the third inning as Wheaton trimmed the UChicago lead to 2-1.
Andrews hit an RBI-single for the Thunder in the top of the sixth inning tie the contest at 2-2. UChicago responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead with a 3-2 advantage.
