UPLAND, Ind. — Kristen Exposito hit a pair of home runs — including a grand slam — as No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan softball picked up an 11-3 win over No. 2 Taylor (Ind.) in a 5 inning mercy rule. All 11 Wildcat runs came in the 3rd and 4th innings as Indiana Wesleyan and Marian are the final two teams in the double elimination tournament without a loss.
GAME VITALS
- CROSSROADS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
- Score:Â Indiana Wesleyan def. Taylor, 11-3Â Â (5 innings)
- Records:Â Indiana Wesleyan 39-11Â Â |Â Â Taylor 36-14
- NAIA Top- 25 Rank: Indiana Wesleyan – Receiving votes  |  Taylor – Receiving votes
- Location:  Gudakunst Field  |  Taylor University  |  Upland, Indiana
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Taylor quickly put two runs on the board in the 1st inning for a 2-0 lead.
- Indiana Wesleyan rallied with two outs in the 3rd inning to score five runs. Alex Springer tied it 2-2 with a two-run single up the middle. Kristen Exposito followed with a 2-run home run and Sara Kreitzer made it back-to-back with a home run for the 5-2 lead.
- The Wildcats continued their hot hitting in the fourth inning with six more runs to lead 11-2. Kaisey Carson and Alex Springer each had RBI singles and Exposito capped the big inning with a grand slam.
- Taylor started the 5th inning with four straight singles to cut the lead to 11-3 and needed one more run to avoid the mercy rule. But the next batter hit into a fielder’s choice which got the lead run at home and then a 1-2-3 double play ended the threat and the game.
GAME STATS
- Alex Springer:Â 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Kristen Exposito:Â 2-for-3, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R
- Sara Kreitzer:Â 1-for-2, BB, HR,
- Kira Madl:Â 2-for-2, 2 R
- Kaisey Carson (21-7):Â W, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K;Â 0-for-2, BB, 2 R
NEXT TIME OUT
- Indiana Wesleyan will play top-seed and No. 4-ranked Marian (Ind.) in the next game of the Crossroads League Tournament on Friday. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Indianapolis. There will be no games played on Thursday as a massive weather system will hit the region all day.