TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 20 Indiana Wesleyan Softball took on Park University Gilbert in a doubleheader on the first day of the Tucson Invitational games. The Wildcats dropped the first game in the morning, 3-5. But IWU came back with a vengeance in game 2, dropping 18 runs on the Buccaneers, the most in a game since 2024 (21).
Park started out hot with 3 runs in the first inning in game 1. IWU responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the first when
Courtney Thomas batted
Whitney Waddell in and
Maddie Martin batted in
Morgan Yeater. The Buccaneers collected a run in the 5th inning and again in the 7th to lead 5-2. In the bottom of the 7th, the Wildcats fought to comeback, scoring 1 run but that was all they could muster.
Game 2 was an offensive barrage across the board. IWU scored in four of the five innings played and nine Wildcats garnered a hit in the ballgame. Martin hit her first home run of the season in the 1st,
Whitney Waddell went 4 for 5 with 7 RBis, 4 of which came by way of an inside-the-park grand slam in the top of the 5th.
Leah May was another offensive standout going 3-4. Park's only 2 runs of the game came in the bottom of the 5th inning. Freshman
Avery Toole pitched well, striking out 6 batters in 3 innings of work and collecting her first collegiate win.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Tucson, Arizona / Lincoln Park
- Records: IWU 2-4 I PU 9-9
- Game One Score: PU def. IWU 5-3
- Game Two Score: IWU def. PU 18-2
- NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #20 | PU - Unranked
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
- Park started with 3 runs in the first inning.
- After an error and a hit, Courtney Thomas scored Whitney Waddell from third. Two batters later, Maddie Martin singled which scored Morgan Yeater.
- The Buccaneers put up two more runs in the game, one in the 5th and another in the 7th.
- With 2 outs, Leah May would double in the bottom of the 7th to score Yeater. However, that would be the only run scored for IWU in the comeback attempt.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
- IWU would cross 18 runners across home plate over 5 innings of play. Maddie Martin had her first home run of the year in the 1st inning, batting in 2 runs.
- After a quick inning of defense, the Wildcats scored 6 more runs in the 2nd inning highlighted by a Courtney Thomas double that scored 2.
- In the 4th inning, Alexis Thompson hit her first career double and earned her first career RBI for one of the two runs scored for IWU.
- The Wildcats extended the lead with 7 more runs in the top of the 7th, including another Thompson double and RBI and an inside-the-park grand slam from Waddell.
- Alana Deshetsky collected her first career hit as a Wildcat today as 18 different Wildcats stepped to the plate.
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Wildcats face Northwestern College in a doubleheader tomorrow, March 3rd, starting at 11:00 AM MT / 1:00 PM ET.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
#
