MARION – Viterbo (Wis.) University’s Jenna Strait hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning and Iowa Wesleyan College was eliminated from the Midwest Collegiate Conference Softball Tournament with a 2-1 loss to the V-Hawks Sunday afternoon.
IWC saw its season end with a loss to #9 seeded Viterbo for the second time this season, struggling to get runners in after the first inning and in all stranding seven runners in scoring position. Wesleyan saw its season end with a 20-33 overall record.
The sixth-seeded Tigers scored first in the game with a run in the bottom of the first, but would not score again despite eight base hits. IWC stranded the bases loaded in both the second and sixth innings and also left runners at second and third in the first inning.
Viterbo scored a run in the fourth to tie the game at 1-1, but Tiger pitcher Mallory Crane (Jr.-Des Moines, Iowa) worked out of jams and stranded the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings to keep it that way. The V-Hawks loaded the bases again in the seventh, though, and this time broke through as Strait hit a one-out sac fly to score what turned out to be the winning run.
Viterbo got revenge for IWC’s 13-5 win to open the tourney the day before, making the Tigers the first team to be eliminated from the three-team pod hosted by Mount Mercy College. The V-Hawks were eliminated by the #1 seeded Mustangs later in the day as Mount Mercy advanced to the tourney semifinals next weekend in Ames.
Sarah McCleary (So.-Elgin, Ill.) led the Tigers with two hits on Sunday, the only player with a multi-hit game. Crane pitched the whole game and allowed seven hits and both runs while striking out eight and walking five.
Iowa Wesleyan finished 1-2 in the tourney, opening on Saturday with the win over Viterbo before losing 9-1 to Mount Mercy. Ayla Serrano (Fr.-Rock Island, Ill.), Sarah Weber (Sr.-Danville, Iowa) and Kara Harris (Sr.-Barry, Ill.) all drove in three runs each and the Tigers posted 15 hits and scored in all five innings in the opener, including seven runs in the fourth inning. Haleigh Hempen (Sr.-Hamilton, Ill.), Leigha Strong (Jr.-Muscatine, Iowa) and Molly Ward (So.-Baylis, Ill.) also all hit home runs in the first game.
For more information regarding the IWC softball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score Game 1 IWC 13 Viterbo 5 (5 inn.)
Box score Game 2 MMC 9 IWC 1 (5 inn.)
Box score Game 3 Viterbo 2 IWC 1
