Chicago, Ill. – The Thunder softball team opened its 2023 CCIW Schedule on Thursday with a doubleheader at North Park. The Vikings swept the Thunder as the hosts won the first game 8-3 and NPU took the nightcap 12-1 in five innings. Wheaton is scheduled to travel to Calvin on Saturday for a doubleheader against the Knights in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Vikings topped the Thunder in game one today as NPU scored eight runs, on nine hits, with no errors and Wheaton tallied three runs, on nine hits, with one error. Starting pitcher Elise O'Neil allowed eight runs, including six earned runs, on nine hits, with two walks and one strikeout. Paige Andrews tossed two innings of scoreless relief, as she allowed one hit, with one strikeout. Thunder catcher Olivia Nahorniak was 3-for-3, with a double, and two runs scored. Andrews was 2-for-4, with a double and a run scored.

North Park scored three runs in the bottom of the first and the hosts scored twice more in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Vikings extended their lead to 6-0 with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Wheaton responded with two runs in the top of the fourth inning.

Kylie Chetakian drove in Wheaton's first run on a sacrifice fly and Elizabeth Meyer hit a double to right centerfield in the next at bat. The Vikings scored twice in the bottom of the fourth for an 8-2 lead for the hosts. Chetakian hit an RBI-single in the top of the fifth inning to give Wheaton its third and final run of the game to account for the 8-3 final score.

NPU won the second game today 12-1 as the hosts scored 12 runs, on 11 hits, with one error and Wheaton tallied one run, on three hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Alese Antonello pitched 2-1/3 innings as she allowed nine runs, including six earned runs, on nine hits. Andrews pitched 2-2/3 innings of relief as she allowed three runs, with no earned runs, on four hits. Nahorniak hit a double, with Tiegan Hoffman and Madison Forberg adding singles to account for Wheaton's three hits in the second game.

Each team scored in the first inning. Nahorniak hit a one-out double in the bottom of the first and later scored an unearned run in the inning on a Viking error. North Park gained a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of the second inning and the hosts added eight runs in the top of the third for a 12-1 lead that would be the final score of the contest.