SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan softball team forced the if necessary game by knocking off No. 8 Marian 9-5 before falling by a 1-0 count in the winner-take-all championship.  


 

THE ESSENTIALS

 

• Location: Spring Arbor, Mich.
• Records: IWU 40-13 I Marian – 44-10
• Game One Score: IWU def. Marian 9-5
• Game Two Score: Marian def. IWU 1-0
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #16 – MU - #8

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

• IWU trailed 1-0 in the top of the second and promptly went to work. Abby Harvey singled and moved to second on Chloe Tragesser's base hit. Zoe Fountain reached on an error and all three runners scored for a two-run margin.
• The Wildcats broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth. Kamryn Buck singled and moved to second two batters later on Tragesser's hit. After moving to third on a fielder's choice, Morgan Yeater knocked Buck in for a 4-3 edge. An inning later, Courtney Thomas singled, stole second and crossed home on Buck's base hit.
• IWU broke open the game in the sixth. Tragesser led off the inning with a single and Arie Hackett entered as a pinch runner. After moving to second on Fountain's hit, the duo moved up on a groundout. Sadie Harding's single knocked in both runners. Moments later, Thomas singled, putting two on base. After Ella Phillips was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Becca Wyatt came in for Phillips. An error allowed Harding and Thomas to cross home for a 9-3 advantage.
• The Wildcats gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh to the No. 8 Knights but closed the door and forced a winner-take all championship.
• For the game, Tragesser led the team with four hits. Buck, Thomas and Yeater tallied two hits each while Harding drove in two. Fountain and Thomas crossed home twice each.
• In the circle, Alayna Thomas got the start and went 1.2 innings. Makenna Waddell tossed 3.1 frames and had a pair of strikeouts. Emma Etter-Cox entered in the sixth and registered a pair of strikeouts to close out Marian.  

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

• Marian broke the scoreless contest with a run in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out single.   
• The Wildcats were down 1-0 in the seventh and the squad tried to knot the game. With one down, Buck drew a walk. Arie Hackett entered as a pinch runner and moved to second on Harvey's single. However, a double play ended the game.   
• IWU pounded out five hits in the game. Harding, Harvey, Courtney Thomas, Wyatt and Yeater registered hits. Wyatt accounted for the team's lone extra base hit – a double.  
• In the circle, Alyssa Wagner went the distance. She had a pair of strikeouts and gave up one run on six hits. Wagner tossed 103 pitches in the game.   

 

NEXT TIME OUT

 

 

• The Wildcats return to action in the NAIA National Championship.
• IWU will find out their next opponent during the NAIA Selection Show on May 7 at 5:00PM.

 

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

 

• Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Follow Softball (@IndWesSoftball): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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