ROSEMONT, ILL. - The Madison College softball team responded in a big way after an 0-3 trip to Minnesota, posting two wins in three games at the opening day of the N4C Dome Jamboree. The WolfPack opened the weekend with an impressive 9-0 blanking of the College of DuPage, then fell a run short of upsetting #1 Rock Valley College in a 7-6 setback, and finished with a 6-3 defeat of Triton College in extra innings.

Game #1: Madison College 9, College of DuPage 0 (5 innings)

Sophomore hurler Jenalee Wilson was dominant as the WolfPack secured it's first win of the season, and in conference play. Wilson (1-1) tossed five innings of two-hit ball to also pick her up first win of the season. The righthander from Portage, Wisconsin, did not record a single strikeout in the outing, but set down eight Chaparrals via ground outs and six more on fly outs.

Offensively, Madison College backed Wilson with a run in the second inning, followed by three in the third, and five in the fourth before the game ended due to run rule. Freshman Brooke Heck finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two driven in. Brenna Seeber, Breanna Bollig, Hannah Jensen, and Bailey Kratt each registered two hits as part of 14 total for the 'Pack. Jensen and Kratt matched one another with three RBI.

Game #2: #1 Rock Valley College 7, Madison College 6

One big inning would prove too costly for the WolfPack against #1 Rock Valley College (NJCAA DIII), as the Golden Eagles plated all seven of their runs in the second inning and held off a furious Madison College rally. The 'Pack scored first courtesy of back-to-back walks to begin the game, followed by a wild pitch and an error that pushed Brenna Seeber across the dish. In the bottom of the second, RVC put a runner aboard on a one-out walk, then collected four straight singles to make it 3-1. A second walk loaded the bases and Rock Valley's Olivia Fluehr emptied them with a triple. She later scored on a ground out to make it 7-1.

But the WolfPack fought back, scoring one run in the third, three in the fifth, and one in the sixth to get within one run of the Golden Eagles. In the top of the seventh Meredith Holt gave Madison College a chance at tying the game with a single to left. The freshman from Monona Grove H.S. kept running and wound up at third base due to an error on the RVC left fielder. Next up was fellow first year Samantha Yaeger; however, with two outs and the tying run just 60 feet away, Yaeger would go down swinging to end the upset bid.

Brooke Heck and Cheyenne Holmes had two hits apiece, part of an eight-hit output for the 'Pack. Holmes also scored twice, while Heck drove in two runs. Madison College batters struck out twelve times. Freshman Hannah Jensen (0-2) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits over six innings. The WolfPack committed four errors in the game.

Game #3: Madison College 6, Triton College 3 (9 innings)

The Friday finale required some late game heroics and a few extra innings to settle a winner against Triton College. The Trojans struck first with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, an inning that saw the WolfPack fall behind 2-0 after a walk, a wild pitch, and a single to short. The score didn't change until the fourth, when Cheyenne Holmes turned a lead off walk into a run, thanks to a Hannah Jensen single and a Triton error.

Facing a second straight defeat, Madison College rallied in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at two and force extra innings. Singles by Summer Zachow and Breanna Bollig setup the two-out, game-tying RBI single from Holmes to plate Zachow.

Extra innings were played under the International Tiebreaker, meaning each half inning started with a runner at second base.  After both teams brought in a run in the eight, Madison College ended it in the ninth, thanks to a two-RBI triple by Brenna Seeber to make it 5-3. Seeber then scored on Breanna Bollig's single to center for a three-run advantage. In the bottom half, Triton had runners at the corners with no one out, but the 'Pack defense turned in two nice plays and Jenalee Wilson (2-1) sent the final batter packing to pick up her second win of the day. 

Wilson tossed 2 1/3 innings in relief and surrendered one unearned run on four hits. Starter Elizabeth Wahl kept the Trojans in check with two runs on five hits and seven strikeouts as she pitched into the seventh inning. At the plate, the WolfPack collected 11 hits, led by two each from Breanna Bollig, Brooke Heck, Hannah Jensen, and Summer Zachow. Zachow registered two runs scored and Seeber a team-best two RBI.

Madison College is now 2-4 on the season and begins North Central Community College Conference play with a 2-1 record. The N4C Dome Jamboree continues Saturday for the WolfPack with games against Prairie State College (non-conference) at 3:00 p.m. and Joliet Junior College at 5:00 p.m.