MARION, Ind. - Indiana Wesleyan Softball took on Spring Arbor for the second time in under a week on Wednesday afternoon at Sue Bowman Field. The Wildcats outlasted the Cougars after eight innings in game 1, winning 5-4. IWU would make another late game comeback in game 2 to complete the season sweep.
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Game 1 was a back-and-forth contest as it was tied four different times throughout the first 7 innings. IWU took the lead first in the 2nd frame with an RBI single by
Danica Fuller. SAU started a streak of scoring one run per half inning in the top of the 4th that lasted until the top of the 6th. The score was tied at 3 going into the 7th which ended tied at 4 and extra innings were needed to decide a winner.
Malayni Clemens shut down the Cougars in the top of the 8th and
Sara Ruble hit the walk off single with the bases loaded to win the game 5-4 in the bottom half of the inning. With her two hits,
Morgan Yeater extended her hitting streak to 12 games.
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Spring Arbor came out of the break with a vengeance, scoring 2 runs in both the 1st and 2nd innings. IWU was able to gain a run in the bottom of the 1st with some help from a Cougar error. Another error in the 4th inning allowed the Wildcats to score again to cut into the lead. However, Spring Arbor added another pair of runs in the top of the 5th to extend the lead to 6-2. But IWU wasn't done fighting. In the bottom of the 6th, the offense came alive for 6 runs to take their first lead of the game. The defense held the lead and Indiana Wesleyan swept the Cougars to keep their winning streak alive.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Indiana / Sue Bowman Field
- Records: IWU 26-8Â (19-3) I SAUÂ 20-18Â (11-13)
- Game One Score: IWU def. SAU 5-4 (8 innings)
- Game Two Score: IWU def. SAU 8-6
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GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
- Danica Fuller batted home the first run of the game in the 2nd inning for IWU.
- SAU tied it in the top of the 4th, but IWU answered right back with a run courtesy of a Sara Ruble single that scored Courtney Thomas.
- Both teams scored 1 run in their half of the 5th innings highlighted by Maddie Martin hitting her 5th home run of the year.
- Spring Arbor homered in the following inning to tie it up again, this time at 3.
- In the 7th, the Cougars took the lead aided by a fielding error from Indiana Wesleyan.
- Morgan Yeater came up clutch with her second double of the game to score Whitney Waddell and force extra innings.
- Malayni Clemens came in to pitch the 8th and stopped the Cougars from scoring.
- Courtney Thomas got the rally started with a double followed by a walk drawn by Leah May. Madisyn Tharpe would then hit a bloop single into left field to load the bases. Sara Ruble played the part of hero by singling to right field to walk it off for the Wildcats.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
- Spring Arbor homered in the 1st to take the 2-0 lead.
- IWU gained a run in the 1st as well to cut the lead to 2-1.
- The Cougars scored 2 more runs in the 2nd to extend their advantage.
- Emma Wiberg crossed home for the Wildcats' second run in the bottom of the 4th off of an error.
- In the 5th, SAU added another pair of runs to go up 6-2.
- Courtney Thomas started the 6th inning with a single and was brought home two batters later on a single by Alexis Thompson. Later in the inning, Whitney Waddell hit a bases loaded single to make the score 6-5. Morgan Yeater then brought home the tying run in the following at-bat. After a Maddie Martin walk that loaded the bases once again, Brylee Bilger blasted a double to right center field that drove home Waddell and Yeater to give IWU its first lead of the game.
- Clemens protected the lead from the circle and picked up her 2nd win of the day.
KEY WILDCATS
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Wildcats travel to Huntington to finish their suspended game on Friday, April 10th at 3:00 PM.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
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