McLean County Times

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team advanced to the championship day of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament by defeating Augustana College 6-2 on Friday afternoon.

The Titans started strong with sophomore Anna Beckman's speed causing an error in the first inning, allowing her to reach base. Freshman Hailey Milgazo and junior Jen Kuhn followed with singles, loading the bases with no outs. Sophomore Casey Wissmiller then hit a home run to center field, giving IWU a 4-0 lead.

Augustana responded in the fifth inning, scoring two runs through an error and three hits. However, Beckman caught a deep fly ball at the fence, preventing further damage as a runner was called out for leaving early.

In IWU's half of the fifth inning, Milgazo singled and moved to second on Kuhn's sacrifice bunt. Wissmiller hit another single, allowing Milgazo to score and extend IWU's lead to 5-2.

Sophomore Gianna Certa maintained the lead in the sixth inning by working around a single with a popup, groundout, and strikeout. The Titans added another run after Beckman singled and advanced on a wild pitch before Kuhn drove her home with an RBI single.

Augustana attempted a comeback in their final at-bat with three hits but only managed one more run before freshman JD Dowling secured the win for IWU by catching a diving liner.

IWU recorded ten hits overall, with Milgazo leading with three hits and two runs scored. Beckman, Kuhn, and Wissmiller each contributed two hits.

Certa pitched her 18th complete game of the season for IWU, allowing three runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out seven batters. Her record improved to 17-2 this year following this victory.

With this win, Illinois Wesleyan moves forward to play in the tournament's championship game scheduled for noon against either Augustana or Millikin University from the elimination bracket.