MARION, Ind. – Indiana Wesleyan Softball welcomed Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday as the first opponents at Sue Bowman Field this year. In the first game of the doubleheader, IWU pulled away with 10 runs in the 5th and 6th inning to win 13-6. The Wildcats took care of business in game 2, winning by run rule after 6 innings, 9-1.
Brylee Bilger continued her great season with a home run in the first game to get her streak to 5 straight games with an over-the-fence hit and 3 doubles between both games.
8 different Wildcats scored a run in game 1 with the RBIs being distributed between 6 different batters.
Brylee Bilger doubled in the first inning to score a run and then was brought home right after by
Courtney Thomas to take the early 2-0 lead. MVNU hit a home run in the 2nd inning to cut the lead but IWU gained the run right back in the 3rd with a Bilger solo shot to left center. The 5th inning saw the Wildcats take a commanding 8-1 lead with 5 runs scored, however the Cougars scored 5 of their own in the top of the 6th which included a 3 run home run. Undeterred, Indiana Wesleyan matched MVNU with 5 more runs in the bottom of the 6th.
Isabelle Beidelschies garnered her 6th win of the year with a solid 5 inning outing.
IWU kept the win streak going with another game of at least 9 runs scored in game 2. The Cougars opened the game with a run in the 1st inning but were held scoreless the rest of the way by the IWU pitchers. The Wildcats scored 1 run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to take the 2-1 lead. After another run in the 5th, Indiana Wesleyan poured in the runs to close out the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. With the bases loaded,
Danica Fuller hit a double that cleared the runners. Fuller later scored and two more runs would cross including the walk-off run brought in by none other than
Brylee Bilger.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Indiana / Sue Bowman Field
- Records: IWU 11-5 (4-0) I MVNU 8-8 (1-5)
- Game One Score: IWU def. MVNU 13-6
- Game Two Score: IWU def. MVNU 9-1
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
- IWU started strong with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. Brylee Bilger doubled to score Maddie Martin for the first run and a Courtney Thomas single brought home Bilger.
- MVNU hit a 1 run home run in the top of the 2nd to cut into the lead.
- Bilger pushed the advantage to 3-1 with a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd, her 6th HR in 5 games.
- The 5th inning started with a walk for Morgan Yeater followed by a Martin double that scored Yeater. Bilger stayed hot with her second double of the game to score Emma Wiberg, who pinch ran for Martin. Courtney Thomas produced a triple to score Maddie Seitz, who pinch ran for Bilger, and Alexis Thompson made it 8-1 with a 2 RBI double, her 6th double of the year.
- The Cougars mounted a comeback in the top of the 6th by scoring 5 runs of their own to make 8-6.
- The Wildcats countered with another 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th. Thomas would hit her second triple of the day to score the first 2 runs of the inning. Leah May brought her home with a bunt single immediately after. Freshman Danica Fuller blasted a double to the outfield wall to bring home the final 2 runs of the game.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
- Mount Vernon Nazarene came out of the break with intent, scoring a run in the top of the 1st inning.
- IWU tied it up in the bottom of the 2nd when Courtney Thomas took home on a passed ball.
- Danica Fuller hit her first double of game 2 to start the 3rd inning and eventually was brought home by Morgan Yeater.
- After 2 scoreless innings, Fuller started the 5th inning with her second double of the game and came around to score on a Maddie Martin double later on.
- The Wildcats opened up the game fully in the 6th inning. With the bases loaded, once again, Fuller would hit her third double scoring all 3 runners. Whitney Waddell drove her home to make the score 7-1. To finish the game, Maddie Martin singled to score Yeater and Brylee Bilger closed it out with a walk-off double that was very close to becoming her second home run of the day.
- Freshman Avery Toole picked up her 5th win of the season with a quality start.
KEY WILDCATS
BILGER PERSPECTIVE
- "It was God's gift to play on this cold day! He blessed us with two wins and a lot of fun," said catcher Brylee Bilger. "I'm so proud of this team for coming out strong and finishing well. We're excited for our next games and the opportunity to represent Both/And well!"
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Wildcats host the Trojans of Taylor on Tuesday, March 17th at 3:00 PM.
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