Tigers topple Highlanders on the road

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - Make it four-in-a-row for the Iowa Wesleyan softball team. The Tigers swept MacMurray 3-1 and 14-1(5) on Wednesday to run their winning streak to four games and pick up a couple of valuable SLIAC wins.

Game one was marked with an excellent outing from Morgan Christner in the circle. Christner held the Highlanders scoreless through the first six innings, and the Tigers were able to grind out three runs in that time frame.

Emma McDanel started things off with an RBI groundout in the first inning. Christner followed with an RBI-single and it was 2-0 after the first inning.

The game was scoreless throughout the next four frames, but the Tigers were able to add one in the top of the fifth. McDanel came through again, plating another run with an RBI-single.

Christner had a no-hitter going through six innings. MacMurray's Meka Elmore broke the no-hit bid up with a leadoff single, and eventually came around to score on an RBI-single by Brooke Allen. The next batter lined out and the Tigers took game one.

McDanel ended the game 1-3 with two RBIs. Christner went 1-3 with an RBI. Kayla Ford was an ideal table-setter, going 3-4 with two runs scored.

Chrisnter gave up just one earned run on two hits and a walk in the circle. She struck out 12 batters over her seven innings of work.

MacMurray's Lydia Hays began the scoring in game two, putting the Highlanders on the board with an RBI-groundout. The Tigers, however, responded with 14 straight runs.

McKenna Woolery tied the game up in the first at-bat of the second inning. Woolery blasted a solo homerun to left field to tie the game up at 1-1.

Ashley Machholz gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with an RBI-groundout. McDanel hit a two-RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-1, and Christner made it 5-1 with an RBI-single.

IW stretched the lead by three runs in the fourth inning. Christner and Alex Eyman hit back-to-back RBI-doubles and Allison Daum had an RBI single to give IW an 8-1 lead.

The Tigers poured it on in the fifth inning. Christner hit a two-RBI single to make it 11-1. Alex Eyman stretched it to 12-1 with an RBI-double. Christner scored on a wild pitch. Woolery brought home Eyman with an RBI-single, and ended up scoring herself on an error later in the inning.

MacMurray couldn't muster any runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, which ended the contest via the eight-run mercy rule.

The Tigers had five players with multiple hits in the win. Christner finished game two 3-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Eyman went 3-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Woolery was 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. McDanel was 2-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Machholz went 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

McDanel threw the full five innings and gave up just one earned run on seven hits. She struck out three batters in the win.

The Tigers are now 13-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play. IW sits in fourth place in the SLIAC, and will take on fifth-place Fontbonne University in a couple of big games on Saturday, April 6, at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex.