McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team concluded its season during the NCAA Regional play on May 17 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Titans faced a narrow 1-0 defeat against UW-Oshkosh and later fell 8-3 to the College of Saint Benedict in an elimination game, ending their season with a record of 31-12, the highest since 2019.

In the first game against UW-Oshkosh, sophomore Gianna Certa maintained a no-hitter until the fifth inning. Junior Ava Khoury reached base after being hit by a pitch, followed by senior Bailey Turner’s single, but IWU could not capitalize. A single disrupted Certa's perfect game bid in the fifth inning, but she managed to keep UW-Oshkosh scoreless until they scored in the seventh inning due to an RBI double.

Turner initiated a potential rally in the bottom of the seventh by getting hit by a pitch and advancing to third base, but IWU failed to bring her home. Turner recorded two hits out of three for IWU, while freshman Hailey Milgazo contributed one hit. Certa pitched for 6.1 innings with four hits allowed and three strikeouts, ending her streak with a loss that brought her record to 19-3.

In their second game against Saint Benedict, IWU took an early lead with sophomore Anna Beckman scoring on an RBI from Wissmiller. However, Saint Benedict responded with six runs in the second inning and extended their lead further despite IWU's efforts to close the gap.

IWU had opportunities in both the fifth and sixth innings but left bases loaded each time. The season concluded for seniors Megan Fontanetta, Isabelle Piwowarczyk, Hope Yeoman, Maya Black, Priscilla Peek, and Bailey Turner as they finished with notable achievements including winning both regular season and tournament titles in their conference.