Montomery, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team (5-5) returned to action on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader at Aurora University (8-1). The Spartans rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning to win game one 5-3. Aurora won the second game 8-0 in five innings.
The Spartans won the first game today, 5-3 in eight innings. Aurora scored five runs, on nine hits, with two errors and Wheaton tallied three runs, on 10 hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher
Alese Antonello worked 7-1/3 innings, allowing five runs. She scattered nine hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Paige Andrews had a strong outing in the game as she was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Andrews hit a pair of home runs in the opener. Antonello was 2-for-4 in the contest.
The Thunder took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the third inning.
Madison Forberg hit a RBI-single that drove in
Isabel Hillyer to give Wheaton the lead. The Spartans scored their first run in the in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 1-1. Aurora scored again in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead. Andrews led off the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run over the fence in leftfield to tie the game at 2-2.
Neither team scored in the seventh inning as the game went to extra innings. Andrews led off the top of the eighth inning with another solo home run to give Wheaton a 3-2 lead. The Spartans responded with a three-run home run bottom of the eighth inning to earn the walk-off win, 5-3.
The Spartans won the second game, 8-0. Aurora scored eight runs, on nine hits, with no errors and Wheaton had zero runs, on two hits, with two errors. Starting pitcher
Shylah Dozeman pitched 3-2/3 innings. Dozeman allowed five runs, including three earned runs. She scattered seven hits, walked three and struck out one. Andrews pitched 1/3 of an inning of relief, allowing three runs. She allowed two hits, and one walk.
Abby Whitehead was 1-for-2 with one double in the nightcap.
Elizabeth Meyer was also 1-for-2.
The Spartans scored twice in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. The hosts added six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to account for the 8-0 final score.
Wheaton hosts Rockford next Tuesday for a doubleheader in the home opener at Ruth Leedy Field. The twinbill with the Regents starts with game one at 3:00 p.m.
