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Box Score 2 Bloomington, Ill.- Two sixth-inning home runs kept the #9 DePauw Softball team alive in its 3-2, 2-1 victories over Illinois Wesleyan, improving to 20-6 overall.
DePauw struck early in game one against Illinois Wesleyan, going up 1-0 in the top of the first. With two outs and the bases loaded, Katie Mathies singled to right field, driving in Alyssa Anderson before the Titans closed out the inning with a tagged out at third.
The Titans knotted up the game at one in the bottom of the fifth after Ava Khoury doubled down the left line to drive in Illinois Wesleyan's Jen Kuhn. In the next inning, DePauw's Emily Timberman's two-out homer would put the Tigers back on top heading into the bottom of the sixth with a 2-1 lead.
Ali Dierks' sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh drove in Grace Smith, giving the Tigers a two-run cushion entering the bottom of the seventh. Down by two, Illinois Wesleyan's Kuhn homered out to left-center, giving the Titans a chance to come from behind; however, DePauw collected the final two outs with a strikeout followed by a pop-up, winning game one 3-2.
DePauw finished game one with five hits, with Kelsey Bernhard recording two of the five. Illinois Wesleyan's Jen Kuhns led the Titans with two hits and two runs.
Cami Henry improved to 15-5 after allowing just two runs off of three hits, with ten strikeouts across seven innings. Madie Monk took the loss in the circle moving to 3-2 overall.
In the nightcap, the Tigers scored in the top of the first again with two outs; this time, Paige Price's single up the middle drove in Bernhard to put DePauw up 1-0 heading into the bottom of the first.
The Titans would hold DePauw to one run up until the top of the sixth, and just like in game one, with two outs, Timberman steps into the box and drives her second home run of the day over center field.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth with a two-run deficit, Illinois Wesleyan cut the Tigers' lead in half after Bailey Turner's single through the middle scored Kuhn and advanced Khoury to second. Despite having two on base and one out, the Tigers closed out the inning, giving up just one run.
DePauw would end the contest with three quick outs and extend its win streak to seven with its 2-1 victory over the Titans.
After pitching four innings, Cami Henry improved to 16-5 overall, allowing just three hits and no runs while striking out seven. Kandra Butcher pitched two innings for the Tigers, allowing five hits, one run, and four strikeouts. The Titans' Natalie Grubczak dropped to 5-2 overall after giving up six hits and two runs; however, they finished game two with ten strikeouts.
The DePauw Tigers return to conference play this Friday, April 15, in a doubleheader matchup against Allegheny. Game one is set for 2 p.m. EDT.