BLOOMINGTON, Ill. --- The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team needed just 11 innings to come away with a sweep of Carroll University Saturday afternoon, April 25, at Inspiration Field at Carol Willis Park. The Titans run-ruled the Pioneers 8-0 in both games to wrap up at least a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championship and hosting rights for the league tournament. IWU ran its record to 23-11 overall and 13-1 in CCIW play with the wins, while CU sputtered to 16-19 on the year with a 3-9 league mark.

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 8, Carroll 0 (5 inn.)
Senior Gianna Certa needed just 59 minutes to blow by the Pioneers, as the senior righty tossed a five-inning no-hitter. Certa dazzled in the circle, shelling out a career-high 11 strikeouts, including the first eight batters she faced. 

Certa struck out the side to bring the Titans to the plate in a hurry. IWU pounced for five runs on four hits and an error with sophomores Grace Wilkens and Kesley Bartels getting things started with back-to-back singles. With speed on the base paths, senior Casey Wissmiller drove a single to the left-center gap to push IWU in front, 2-0. Sophomores Bella Pinter and Julia Wilkens followed with RBIs before freshman Isabella Boskey brought home Pinter and reached on an error. 

Leading 5-0 into the second, Certa once again sent the side down with strikes to put Illinois Wesleyan back on the attack. Grace Wilkens started things with a single, swiped second, and took third on a sacrifice bunt. Senior Anna Beckman singled to center for an RBI and used her speed to swipe second before scoring on senior Claire Post's knock to center. 

Leading 7-0, a solo homer to left from Boskey polished off the scoring as IWU secured the 8-0 run-rule win.

Certa was untouchable in the circle, going the full five without allowing a hit. She fanned 11 and walked one, with a highlight-reel play from Wissmiller aiding her historic performance.

Illinois Wesleyan churned out 10 hits in the contest with Beckman leading the way in a 3-for-3 showing. Grace Wilkens picked up a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3, while six Titans tallied RBIs.

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 8, Carroll 0 (6 inn.)
The Green and White kept its foot on the gas in game two, taking a 5-0 lead into the third inning. Wissmiller came through with a sac fly for the first run of the game and Post added an RBI single to center to push IWU ahead, 2-0, after one turn at the plate.

After a passed ball and an RBI groundout, Wissmiller finished off the three-run inning. Bartels doubled deep to left-center and swiped third before Wissmiller's single drove her home for a 5-0 advantage.

IWU tacked on another run in the third as sophomore Jillian Bollard battled at the plate before whacking a double to right-center. Freshman Paige Veller replaced her as a pinch runner and was bunted to third, where Boskey came through. Working her way through a 10-pitch at-bat, Boskey eventually won out with a deep fly ball to the outfield to score Veller on the sacrifice fly. 

Beckman plated IWU's seventh run with some help from the sun. With Wissmiller on second after legging out a double, Beckman popped a mile-high fly ball towards the right side, but the Carroll infield lost the ball in the sun. The two-out, good luck hit saw Wissmiller race around to up the lead to seven.

The Titans walked off the win in the sixth as junior Annika Brown began the frame with a pinch-hit single. A sac bunt and a single from Bartels put runners on the corners with one away as Wissmiller stepped to the dish. Needing just one run to end the game, Wissmiller whacked a single down the left-field line to score Brown and finish off the sweep, 8-0.

The Titans finished the game with 10 hits as the heart of the order did damage. Wissmiller finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Bartels added a 3-for-4 outing. Beckman rounded out the multi-hit showings, going 2-for-3 in the cleanup spot. 

In the circle, junior Mallory Holland came away with the win. She went four innings with four strikeouts and two hits allowed to move to 6-4 on the season. Sophomore Maddie Pool tossed the final two innings in a stellar relief appearance. Pool struck out two in a hitless outing and used just 18 pitches to retire the six batters she faced.

Illinois Wesleyan looks to win the conference title outright tomorrow, April 26, as Carthage College pays a visit to Inspiration Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will see the Titan women's basketball standouts Ava Bardic and Sawyer White recognized pregame with ceremonial first pitches.