Winter Haven, Fla. –The Wheaton Thunder softball team (4-2) split a pair of games on Wednesday in its third day of action in Florida. Wheaton's games against Wittenberg University and Saint Vincent College, originally scheduled for earlier in the day were delayed due to rain and played in the late afternoon and into the evening. Wittenberg defeated the Thunder 13-0 in the first game. Wheaton rebounded in the evening game with a 6-4 victory against St. Vincent College.
Wheaton won the day's second game, as the Thunder earned a 6-4 victory against St. Vincent. The Thunder scored six runs, on 10 hits, with two errors. The Bearcats scored four runs, on nine hits, with zero errors. Freshman
Shylah Dozeman (3-0) earned the win in six innings of work in the circle. She allowed four runs, on nine hits, with two walks and one strikeout.
Alese Antonello earned her third save of the trip as she pitched one scoreless inning, without allowing a hit.
Senior catcher
Madison Forberg was 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring one run.
Isabel Hillyer collected two hits in three at bats, and she stole a base.
Paige Andrews and
Abigail Latka each hit a double while
Elizabeth Meyer tallied a triple.
St. Vincent scored a run in the top of the first inning and added another in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead. The Bearcats scored again in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Thunder offense put pup five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Wheaton scored its first run in the inning on a bunt single by
Sydney Broderick that drove in
Abie Brown. Meyer stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and hit her three-run triple to give Wheaton a 4-3 lead. Andrews belted a double to leftfield that brought Meyer home for the 5-3 lead.
The Bearcats scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to trim Wheaton's advantage to 5-4. Wheaton added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Latka led off with a double and Hillyer followed with an RBI-single to centerfield that brought Latka home. Latka's insurance run accounted for the 6-4 final score. Antonello entered the game in the seventh inning and closed out the game in earning the save.
Wittenberg topped Wheaton 13-0 in the opening game of the day for the Thunder. The Tigers scored 13 runs, on 12 hits with one error and Wheaton had no runs, on one hit, with five errors. Antonello allowed seven earned runs in 1-2/3 innings and Dozeman allowed one earned run in 2-1/3 innings. Antonello hit a double to collect Wheaton's hit in the game.
The Thunder close out the trip on Thursday with a pair of games. Wheaton faces Carlow University at 11:30 a.m. (EST). Wheaton's final game in Florida in at 6:15 p.m. (EST) against Marian (Wis.).
