zukowski, ava
Dawn Bruno
5
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 18-7, 3-0 CCIW
4
Millikin MILLIKIN 16-11, 4-3 CCIW
Winner
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
18-7, 3-0 CCIW
5
Final
4
Millikin MILLIKIN
16-11, 4-3 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 5 7 1
Millikin MILLIKIN 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 7 0

W: Holland, Mallory (3-1) L: Bruno, Kelsey (9-3)

6
Millikin MILLIKIN 16-12, 4-4 CCIW
7
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU 19-7, 4-0 CCIW
Millikin MILLIKIN
16-12, 4-4 CCIW
6
Final
7
Illinois Wesleyan IWU
19-7, 4-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Millikin MILLIKIN 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 6 4 2
Illinois Wesleyan IWU 1 0 1 3 2 0 X 7 7 2

W: Pool, Maddie (5-2) L: Wilken, Abby (2-2) S: Certa, Gianna (4)

Game Recap: Softball | | Morgan Vogels

Softball Drops Two Heartbreakers in Doubleheader against Illinois Wesleyan

The Big Blue softball team geared up for some midweek College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin action against the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan on Tuesday, April 15. In a doubleheader that saw two one-run decisions, the Big Blue fell in both contests. 

In game one, the Titans got on the board first with a quick two runs in the first inning. The Big Blue battled back and scored four of their own in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead, starting with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ann Marie Meek that scored Summer Wynn. Then, Ava Zukowski reached on a Titan error, allowing Kendallyn Davison to cross the plate. Abby Willis snuck a single up the middle to score Zukowski and Brianna Denault. 

But, the lead was short lived, with Illinois Wesleyan tacking on two more on a double to left center by Anna Beckman in the fifth to tie the game up. They put the nail in the coffin on a Casey Wissmiller double to left that plated the winning run to take game one 4-5.

The Big Blue notched seven hits in the contest, with Zukowski going 2-for-3. Kelsey Bruno suffered the loss in the circle, striking out six and allowing seven hits through five innings of work. Alyssa Dralle pitched in two hitless, scoreless innings of work. 

In game two, it was the Big Blue who struck first. Kailyn Coates sent an RBI groundout to score Charley Condill in the top of the first as the visitors on the scoreboard, then Davison laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Willis to take an early 2-0 lead.

The Titans once again had an answer. In the bottom of the inning on what was presumed to be a double play, getting the out on a groundout to first and picking off the runner heading home. But, Jen Kuhn's hustle and a play ruling of a pulled foot at first plated the first run for the Titans to cut the lead to one.

Anna Enlow laid down a sacrifice bunt in the third to score Willis, pushing the lead to 3-1, but one swing by Kuhn in the bottom of the inning brought the lead back to one.

Illinois Wesleyan added on three more runs in the fourth to take a 3-5 lead. In the top of the fifth, a wild pitch with Condill aboard third cut the deficit to one, then an RBI groundout by Coates evened the score at five apiece.

In the fifth, IWU took advantage of both a passed ball and a wild pitch in bases loaded situations to plate their final two runs. 

Millikin chipped away in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Zukowski that scored Denault, but it wasn't enough. In the seventh, after Condill led off with a single, Gianna Certa entered the game and retired three straight to earn the sweep in a 6-7 victory in game two for Illinois Wesleyan. 

The Big Blue were outhit 4-7 in game two, with Condill responsible for two of them, going 2-for-3 at the plate in game two. Abby Wilken took the loss in the circle. 

With the sweep, the Big Blue fall to 16-12 overall, 4-4 in CCIW play. Millikin will look to bounce back quickly as they meet another conference opponent at the Workman Family Softball Field on Friday, April 18 when North Central travels to town with first pitch set for 1:00 PM.
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