McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team defeated North Central College 6-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament. The game took place at Inspiration Field, with IWU advancing to a subsequent match while NCC moved to the loser's bracket.

IWU initiated their lead in the first inning with two runs on four hits. Freshman Grace Wilkens started with a bunt single, followed by Anna Beckman's score on Jen Kuhn's RBI single. Bella Pinter and Casey Wissmiller contributed singles, helping Kuhn score for a 2-0 lead.

Pitcher Gianna Certa managed a clean third inning after allowing singles earlier. Beckman’s infield single led to an RBI groundout from Ava Khoury, extending IWU's lead to 3-0.

North Central scored in the fifth inning but was limited by Mallory Holland's pitching change. Holland struck out two players and ended with her fifth save of the season.

Beckman further aided IWU with a double that allowed Kuhn another RBI single, increasing their lead to 4-1 after five innings. Wissmiller’s double and Claire Post’s sacrifice fly added another run in the sixth. Maddie Pool hit her second career home run as a pinch hitter, finalizing IWU's score at 6-1.

Holland completed the game by striking out two batters in the seventh inning, while Annika Brown secured the last out with a defensive play.

Certa achieved her 15th win this season after pitching over four innings and recording three strikeouts. The Titans’ offense recorded eleven hits, with Wilkens, Kuhn, and Wissmiller each achieving two hits from three attempts.

Illinois Wesleyan will continue in the winner's bracket of the tournament at 3:30 p.m., while North Central faces elimination at 1 p.m., pending results from other games.