RIVER GROVE, ILL. - Wednesday's doubleheader at Triton College ended with the Madison College softball team earning a pair of identical 9-1 run-rule victories in North Central Community College Conference play. Behind three-hitters from pitchers Hannah Wienen and Alli Walker, the #15 WolfPack advanced their win streak to four games and pulled even in the loss column atop the N4C standings with #1 Rock Valley College, who dropped a game to Harper College earlier in the week.

Game #1: #15 Madison College 9, Triton College 1 (5 innings)

Freshman Alli Walker (7-1) earned her team-leading seventh win of the season with a commanding performance in the pitcher's circle. The former Portage HS athlete struck out nine batters and was tagged for one unearned run on three hits and three walks. Walker leads the WolfPack pitching staff with 78 K's and 63-plus innings.

Playing as the home team, Madison College seized the early lead with a first inning run as Sam Schloegl scored from third on a ground out to second by Paige Cornelissen. The 'Pack made it 3-0 in the third when first year infielder Hannah Grahl double to centerfield to scored Claire Brzenk and Cornelissen. Clinging to a 3-1 advantage in the fifth, Madison College hung six more runs on the board to force the early conclusion, which came in celebratory fashion. Back-to-back triples by Schloegl and Brzenk made it a four-run lead, and Cornelissen's grounder throught the right side brought the lead to 6-1. After Grahl doubled for the second time in the game to put runners at second and third, sophomore Katelin Gilbertson drove the first pitch she saw well beyond the centerfield wall for a walk-off three-run homer.

Gilbertson, a native of Onalaska, Wisconsin, used her team-leading fourth long ball of the season to finish with a team-best three runs batted in. Fellow sophomore and Arrowhead HS product Claire Brzenk posted a 3 for 3 effort with two runs scored and one batted in. She owns a three-game hitting streak with seven hits. Schloegl and Grahl each registered two hits, with Schloegl matching Brzenk and Cornelissen with two runs scored. Cornelissen also had two RBI.

Game #2: #15 Madison College 9, Triton College 1 (5 innings)

Sophomore Hannah Wienen flirted with a no-hitter into the fifth inning before allowing two base knocks and her only earned of the game. The Scales Mound, Illinois, native struck out seven and surrendered three hits, one walk, and a hit batter to improve to 4-2 as she picked up her first win since March 16. 

Offensively, the WolfPack provided plenty of run support, taking advantage of 11 hits and eight walks. Freshman Hannah Grahl opened her productive day with a two-out triple in the first inning to score Paige Cornelissen in the first inning. Another two-out Grahl triple in the third set up fellow first year Dany Gumz with a RBI opportunity, which the Marshall, Wisconsin, product capitalized on with a single past the third baseman to make it 2-0. Madison College pulled away in the fourth with three runs, highlighted by a run-scoring double by Grahl and a Gumz triple. The game was ended early via run rule after the 'Pack put up a four-spot in the fifth. with Ashley Burg and Claire Brzenk both driving in runs. The walk-off win came on a misplayed fly ball to center that plated Burg for the win.

Grahl, a native of Rosendale, Wisconsin, went a perfect 3 for 3 with two triples, a double, and a walk. The shortstop drove in two runs and scored two more, giving her 11 total bases in the game. Grahl owns a five-game hitting streak, during which she is batting .667 with seven extra base hits and ten runs batted in. Brzenk, Cornelissen, and Gumz also produced multi-hit games, with Brzenk and Gumz each tallying three RBI. Cornelissen crossed home twice after extending her hitting streak to six consecutive games.

Madison College owns a 17-10 all-time record against Triton College (22-14, 6-9). The WolfPack have won three straight and ten of the last 12 meetings.

Up Next:

Madison College (26-7, 12-2) is scheduled to play at Harper College (10-20, 7-5) on Thursday, April 19 in a N4C doubleheader. The WolfPack have dominated the head-to-head series of late, claiming 17 wins in the last 19 meetings and currently riding an 11-game win streak going back to 2014. First pitch in Palatine, Illinois, is at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 5:00 p.m. start for game two. 

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