TUCSON, ARIZ. – Brooke Iversen (So.-Earlville, Ill.) pitched four innings for the win, Rebecca Wilson (Fr.-Algonquin, Ill.) threw three innings of relief for the save, and the Iowa Wesleyan College softball team picked up its first win of the season with a 3-2 defeat of Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology Tuesday afternoon at the Tucson Invitational Games.
The Tigers played much better on the third day of their spring break trip, getting their first win in their opening game and losing a tough 1-0 decision to Siena Heights (Mich.) University in the afternoon after the Saints scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a suicide squeeze play. IWC is now 1-7 on the season with two days and four games left in Tucson.
Wesleyan finally got some offense for its starting pitchers in the game against Rose-Hulman, opening a 3-0 lead after three innings after Kara Harris (Jr.-Barry, Ill.), Hilarie Droz (Sr.-Ottumwa, Iowa) and Kelley Bettag (Fr.-Dale, Ind.) all drove in runs. Harris singled in Haleigh Hempen (Jr.-Hamilton, Ill.) with the first run in the second inning, and Droz and Bettag both had run-scoring hits in the third inning.
The lead would hold up the rest of the way, as Iversen got the Tigers through four innings allowing just one run. Sarah McCleary (Fr.-Elgin, Ill.) came on in the fifth and allowed an unearned run before getting an out, but Wilson came in and shut down the Engineers, allowing just one hit in three innings to pick up her first collegiate save.
IWC nearly picked up a second win against Siena Heights as senior Ashlee Winner (Rushville, Ill.) struck out 10 in 6 1/3 innings. However, she received little offensive support as SHU pitcher Dani Bailey was just as strong, allowing just five hits in seven innings.
The two teams went to the bottom of the seventh still scoreless when Lizz Wilson led off the inning with a double for Siena Heights. She moved to third on a passed ball, and after inducing the next batter into a fly out Winner was relieved by Rebecca Wilson. The Saints’ Tami Ross came up first against Wilson and executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, scoring Lizz Wilson for the winning run.
Stephanie Benge (Sr.-Mount Pleasant, Iowa) led IWC offensively on the day with three hits over the two games. Bettag, Harris and Jerri Fuentez (Sr.-Houston, Texas) all added two hits each.
The Tigers continue play in Tucson on Wednesday, facing Madonna (Mich.) University at 9 a.m. Wesleyan then will come right back at 11 a.m. to face Wartburg College of Waverly, Iowa.
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 IWC 3 RHIT 2
Box score SHU 1 IWC 0
