Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton softball team opened CCIW play on Thursday afternoon with a doubleheader at home against Carthage College. The Thunder opened the twinbill with a 7-3 victory against the Firebirds. Carthage won the nightcap 3-2 in eight innings.

Wheaton won today's first game 7-3 as the Thunder scored seven runs, on 10 hits, with two errors and Carthage tallied three runs, on five hits, with one error. Pitcher Shylah Dozeman was stellar in 6-1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win in the circle. Dozeman scattered three hits in the outing, with four strikeouts and one walk.

Cate Welch was 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks drawn. Welch hit a home run, with two RBI and she scored one run. Catcher Olivia Nahorniak was 2-for-4, scoring once, with a RBI. Abie Brown was 1-for-2, with a double and two walks drawn as she scored two runs in the contest. Dozeman helped her own cause with a 1-for-2 effort at the plate.

Carthage scored three runs in the top of the first inning to gain the early 3-0 lead. Brown hit a one-out double in the bottom of the first inning and she scored three batters later on a single by Welch. Brown's run trimmed the Firebirds' lead to 3-1 after one inning.

The Thunder scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 3-3. Both of Wheaton's runs in the third came off the bat of Soleil Weaver who hit a two-run single through the right side of the infield.
Nahorniak drove in a run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a RBI single down the rightfield line to give Wheaton a 4-3 advantage. Figueroa drove in two more runs in the fifth inning with a two-run single through the right side of the infield. Her single extended the hosts' lead to 6-3 after five innings. Welch led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run to account for the 7-3 final score in favor of the Thunder.

Carthage won the second game of the day, 3-2 in eight innings. The Firebirds scored three runs, on nine hits, with one error and Wheaton had two runs, on nine hits, with three errors. Dozeman pitched all seven innings of the second game. She allowed three runs, including two earned runs, on nine hits, with five strikeouts, and three walks.

Figueroa was 3-for-4, driving in two runs. Welch and Nahorniak were each 2-for-4, with Nahorniak scoring twice.

The Thunder scored once in the top of the first inning to gain the early 1-0 lead. Figueroa belted a RBI-double to right centerfield in the first that brought Nahorniak home. Carthage tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the second inning. The Firebirds took a 2-1 lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Wheaton tied the game at 2-2 as the Thunder added a run in the top of the seventh inning. Nahorniak led off the seventh with single to centerfield. She advanced to second base on a sacrifice by Brown and scored two batters later on a RBI-single by Figueroa. Dozeman kept the Firebirds off the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the contest to extra innings.

Wheaton was unable to score in the top of the eighth inning. Carthage scored the game-winning run on a RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth to earn the 3-2 victory in extra innings.

Wheaton remains at home for its next conference matchup as the Thunder host Elmhurst on Saturday in 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ruth Leedy Field.