McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team began its season with a split against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Claremont, California. The Titans secured a 6-1 victory in the first game, handing the Athenas their first loss of the year, but CMS bounced back to win the second game 5-4.

In the opening match, senior Jen Kuhn delivered an impressive performance by going 4-for-4 at bat, contributing two doubles and four RBIs. Junior Gianna Certa pitched seven innings for IWU, allowing one run on six hits with two strikeouts. Freshmen Bella Pinter and Grace Wilkens achieved their first career hits during this game.

Kuhn's early double brought home sophomore Hailey Milgazo to give IWU a 1-0 lead in the first inning. By the fourth inning, Kuhn and junior Claire Post capitalized on CMS errors to extend their lead to 3-0. The Titans added three more runs in the fifth inning before CMS managed to score once in their half of that inning.

The second game saw IWU take an early lead with four runs in the top of the first inning. However, CMS quickly responded with three runs of their own and took control by adding two more runs in the third inning due to a fielder's choice and a throwing error.

Despite opportunities presented by CMS errors in later innings, IWU was unable to regain the lead and fell short with a final score of 5-4. Junior Caroline Gatchell took the loss after splitting pitching duties with sophomore Mallory Holland.

Illinois Wesleyan will continue its California tour against Chapman University on March 9.