Melbourne, Fla. -- The Wheaton softball team continued its Spring Break schedule on Wednesday with the third and penultimate doubleheader of its week in Florida, taking on Rivier University and University of Wisconsin-Superior this afternoon. The Thunder defeated the Rivier Raiders, 6-3, in today's first contest before falling by the same scoreline to the UW-Superior Yellowjackets. Wheaton's season record is now 2-4 heading into the final day of its non-conference slate in the southeast.
The Orange and Blue used a fast offensive start in game one to seize an early advantage over the Raiders, scoring two runs in the first inning from two hits and a error.
Ava Hartnett (
pictured left) singled to second in her first at bat, and Abby
Whitehead followed this up by launching a double into right field that brought Hartnett around the bases for the opening run. Rivier nearly escaped the batting sequence with just one score allowed, but a fielding mistake by the starting pitcher enabled Whitehead to complete her trip home.
The Raiders only managed a single in each of their first two offensive series, and Wheaton extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the third when Hartnett singled once again, stole second base, advanced to third on a subsequent ground out, and scored on another error by the opposition's pitcher. But the GNAC side answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to remain within striking distance.
The Thunder wasted no time in restoring their three-run advantage, however, as a two-RBI double by
Kennedy Kemp brought in
Nori Kang and
Bella Giles after each player singled to begin the fourth frame. Rivier pulled back within two scores at 5-3 in the bottom half by stealing a run with two outs on the board. But Wheaton limited the damage and maintained its edge heading into the last two frames after each side stranded one runner in scoring position in the fifth inning.
After the New Hampshire squad posted a three-up, three-down defensive series in the top of the sixth, they led off with a double to set up a possible rally effort. But the Thunder put the clamp down and sent the next three Rivier batters back to the dugout to preserve their 5-3 edge. Hartnett drew a walk to begin the final frame, but the Raiders tallied consecutive strikeouts to seemingly stifle Wheaton's offense and stay within two runs on the scoreboard. A third critical error plagued Rivier, however, and Hartnett was able to capitalize for the second time after stealing another base to log the game's final run.
Two fly outs and a ground out to Hartnett then ended the contest with little drama as Wheaton sealed its wire-to-wire victory.
The Thunder registered eight hits and one error in a convincing outing, while Rivier's five mistakes proved too costly despite its six hits and same number of runners left on base.
Kemp made a significant impact on both sides of the ball for Wheaton in today's victory, collecting her first win of the year in the circle by allowing five hits and just one earned run through her 4.2 innings of work.
Iris Jones made an impressive first appearance of the campaign, giving up zero runs and only one hit in her 2.1 innings of relief while matching Kemp on one strikeout.
Kemp led the Thunder batting effort with a game-high two RBI and posted one hit. Kang and Hartnett tallied a joint game-best two hits, with the latter scoring three times and the former reaching home plate on one occasion. Whitehead finished with one hit, one RBI, and one score, and Giles contributed one run and one hit in the win.
Wheaton got off to a quick scoring start in Wednesday's second matchup, as well, thanks to another Whitehead double that brought Hartnett in to score after the latter walked. UW-Superior was not able to trouble the Thunder defense in its first batting series but tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the second via three singles and a walk. A strikeout and a fly out to center field got Wheaton out of a pickle with the bases loaded and kept the scoreboard even.
After the next two batting exchanges proved scoreless, the Thunder regained a slender advantage in the bottom of the third inning after
Soleil Weaver drew a walk and eventually rounded the bases on a passed ball. But the Yellowjackets flipped the script and tallied two outs to end the inning before Wheaton's runner on third base could extend the team's lead further. The Illinois squad enjoyed a three-up, three-down sequence in the top of the fourth thanks to a trio of fly outs before Superior again blanked the Thunder's offense with two runners in scoring position.
The UMAC outfit then drew back level at 2-2 following a lead-off single, a sacrifice bunt, and another infield hit in the top of the fifth inning. The Wisconsin side pulled ahead for good in the following frame via a four-run flurry that began with two errors, another sac bunt, and was accelerated by a triple into the outfield. A well-timed double play in the bottom half preserved the Yellowjackets' 6-2 lead. UW-Superior did not trouble Wheaton's defense in its final batting series, and the Thunder clawed a run back in the bottom of the seventh frame when Kang led off with a double into deep left and was brought home by another Kemp single. But a second double play effort halted Wheaton's comeback attempt prematurely and confirmed Superior's win.
The Yellowjackets posted nine hits and committed just one error compared to the Thunder's respective counts of four and three in today's second game. Wheaton drew one more walk than UW-Superior and registered two extra-base hits to the Yellowjackets' one. But Superior's sharp fielding, clean execution, and hitting advantage ultimately helped make the difference on the scoreboard.
Shylah Dozeman got the start in the circle for Wheaton in Wednesday's second matchup and threw a game-best six strikeouts in her 5.2-inning appearance. Just one of the six runs that the Thunder allowed in her time on the field was earned.
Dillon Watson relieved Dozeman for the final inning and conceded no runs on one hit.
Kemp and Whitehead each tallied one hit and one RBI in today's second game, while Giles and Kang both contributed a hit. Kang was joined on one run scored by Hartnett and Weaver.
The Thunder will wrap up their Spring Break slate with one more doubleheader tomorrow afternoon. Wheaton is set to face Fitchburg State University at 2:30 PM local time and Lakeland University immediately afterwards on the same field on Thursday.
