BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan defeated Augustana 4-2 in the final of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Softball Championship on Saturday afternoon, the Titans’ second consecutive CCIW Tournament title and their 17th championship overall.
 
The victory also made the Titans (34-7) the first team in league history to go unbeaten in both the CCIW regular season (16-0) and postseason tournament (3-0).
 
IWU’s Jen Kuhn and Ava Khouri accounted for all of the Titans’ hits on Saturday, each with 2-for-2 efforts. Khoury finished the day with three runs batted in, including a first-inning solo home run. Mallory Holland went the distance in the circle, inducing 14 ground-ball outs for her eighth win of the campaign.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the third, the Vikings (28-14) tied the game at 1-1 after Teagan Nees singled to start the frame and later scored on an IWU error. The hosts promptly recovered to reclaim the lead in the bottom of the inning when Khoury delivered again, this time on a two-run single up the middle for a 3-1 advantage.
 
Augie got a run back in the fourth when Emma Evans singled to start the inning, moved to third on a bunt single from Emily Gad and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
 
The run from Evans would be the last of the Augustana offense. The Titans got an insurance run in the fifth that set the final score at 4-2.
 
Prior to the game, Illinois Wesleyan’s Kennady Estes was recognized as the CCIW Elite 26 award recipient – her third consecutive season as the league’s award recipient in softball. The award is presented to the student-athlete who excels academically and athletically at the conference level in each of the CCIW's 26 sponsored sports.