McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team secured a spot in the Bloomington regional title game of the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament with a 6-1 win over Nebraska Wesleyan University. The victory on Friday, May 16, saw IWU's record improve to 36-7 as they capitalized on an early lead to move forward in the tournament.

Freshman Grace Wilkens initiated the offensive momentum for IWU with a bunt-single that set off a sequence of hits. Senior Ava Khoury followed by driving Wilkens home with an RBI single. Contributions from junior Casey Wissmiller and freshman Bella Pinter extended IWU's lead, with Pinter adding another run through her single. Freshman Julia Wilkens also contributed with an RBI knock down the left field line.

Pinter continued her strong performance by hitting a solo homer in the fourth inning, marking her seventh of the season and increasing IWU's lead to 4-0. In the fifth inning, she delivered again with a double that pushed IWU further ahead.

Nebraska Wesleyan managed to break through junior Gianna Certa's no-hit bid in the bottom of the fifth inning but only scored one run despite loading bases later in the game. Certa concluded her complete game effort allowing just three hits while striking out two batters across seven innings.

IWU's offense was bolstered by Pinter who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Wissmiller and Grace Wilkens each contributed significantly going 2-for-4 at bat.

Illinois Wesleyan will proceed to play in Saturday’s regional title game, awaiting their opponent following an elimination match later tonight.