MOUNT PLEASANT – Iowa Wesleyan College staged a rally in its final at bat in the opening game, eventually splitting a pair of games in its Betty Sammons Classic at East Lake Park.
The Tigers scored four times in the top of the seventh against Judson (Ill.) University to take a 10-8 win over the Eagles in their first game Saturday afternoon. Judson came back with a 12-1 in the teams’ second game, leaving the Tigers with a 3-1 record in the Sammons Classic this year and a 14-18 mark for the season.
Jerri Fuentez (Sr.-Houston, Texas) hit a two-run single with two outs in the top of the seventh to tie the opener. Hilarie Droz (Sr.-Ottumwa, Iowa) then singled in Fuentez with the lead run and Haleigh Hempen (Jr.-Hamilton, Iowa) followed with a bloop single to right to score Droz and cap the four-run rally.
The late comeback gave pitcher Ashlee Winner (Rushville, Ill.) her third straight win in the tourney after the senior delivered yet another superb performance in relief. Winner came on in the third inning with Wesleyan trailing 6-4 and limited the Eagles to one hit and one earned run in five innings while striking out nine. She finished the tourney pitching in all four games and allowing 13 hits and four earned runs in 18 1/3 innings with 34 strikeouts.
Droz finished the opener with three RBIs, while Fuentez drove in a pair and Colleen Baggett (Jr.-Rolling Meadows, Ill.) reached based three times, including a pair of hits.
Judson dominated the second game, scoring a run in the first and then six in the second for an early 7-0 lead. The Eagles finished with 13 hits in game two to finish the tourney with a 2-3 record and improve to 19-16 overall. Baggett drove in Hannah Milligan (Fr.-West Burlington, Iowa) with IWC’s lone run, a triple in the fifth inning that briefly cut the deficit to 8-1 before Judson scored four times in the top of the sixth.
Lindenwood (Mo.) University and William Penn University were the only two teams to finish the tourney undefeated. Lindenwood finished with a 5-0 mark over two days while William Penn came for two games on Saturday and finished with a 2-0 record.
Iowa Wesleyan will return to Midwest Collegiate Conference play on Monday, traveling to Dubuque to face Clarke College at 5 p.m. for a doubleheader.
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 10 Judson 8
Box score Game 2 Judson 12 IWC 1
Tournament Summary
Sammons Day 1 Report
