Naperville, Ill. – The Thunder softball team traveled to North Central College on Tuesday afternoon for a CCIW doubleheader against the Cardinals. NCC (23-8, 8-4 CCIW) won the first game 7-0, Wheaton rallied for an impressive 2-1 victory in nine innings in the nightcap. The Thunder are no 16-16 on the season with a 5-7 record in conference play.

Wheaton won the second game with two impressive rallies. The tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the contest to extra innings. The Thunder scored the game-winning run on a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth inning. The victorious Thunder scored two runs, on nine hits, with zero errors. The Cardinals tallied one run, on six hits, with two errors. Freshman pitcher Shylah Dozeman pitched all nine innings, allowing one run, on six hits, with one walk and one strikeout.
 

Elizabeth Meyer was 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Madison Catcher Madison Forberg hit the game-winning walk-off double in the ninth inning.

North Central scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, pinch hitter Victoria Barbar hit a one-out single and was replaced by pinch runner Mia Reinhard. Meyer grounded out to advance to Reinhard to second base Forberg hit a ball to the Cardinals' shortstop, but a NCC throwing error allowed her to reach safely and Reinhard scored to tie the game.

Dozeman held the Cardinals to just one hit in the eighth and ninth innings respectively. Meyer reached the safely by hitting a two-out infield single. Forberg stepped up to the plate and belted a double deep into the gap in right centerfield as Meyer sprinted from first base to home and she beat the throw home for the game-winning run.

The Cardinals utilized a four-run fifth inning to win the first game 7-0. North Central scored seven runs, on six hits, with two errors, while Wheaton had no runs, on five hits, with no errors. Dozeman pitched four innings, allowing two runs, on three hits. Alese Antonello pitched two innings of relief as she allowed five runs, on three hits.

Forberg was 2-for-3, with a walk in the opener. Paige Andrews, Livi Figueroa, and Meyer each added a single for the Thunder.

The Cardinals scored one run in the bottom of the first inning and added a run in the bottom of the third to extend the hosts' lead to 2-0. NCC scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth and added a run in the bottom of the sixth to account for the 7-0 final score.

Wheaton is scheduled to host Augustana on Saturday afternoon. The twinbill with the Vikings is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Ruth Leedy Field