MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Gardner Field saw a showdown with the Bethel Pilots (8-28, 3-19) and the NAIA 13th-ranked Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (27-5, 17-3) but suffered a pair of losses 10-0 and 12-1 on Friday.
GAME 1
The transfer from Indiana Wesleyan Natalee McNeil and Isabelle Beidelschies were in a pitching duel through four innings, with only one run scored in the top of the first from a walked-in run. The Wildcats went for a nine-run top of the fifth, with Sadie Harding looping a single to score Maddie Seitz, 2-0 Wildcats. Arie Hackett plated Harding from an RBI single, then Hackett scored on a wild pitch for the fourth Wildcat run. Martin scored off an error by a mis-played ball in left field, that was hit by Waddell, then Waddell scored on a single from Morgan Yeater. IWU capped off the top of the fifth with a two-run home run by Brylee Bilger to seal the victory 10-0.
McNeil (2-7) was given the loss after throwing 4.1 innings and allowing six hits and seven runs, walking six batters and striking out two.
GAME 2
Indiana Wesleyan had two big innings early with a five-run inning in the top of the first and a four-run top of the third to take a 9-0 lead, then followed up with a bases-clearing triple that scored one run in the top of the fourth to make it 10-0.
Madison Shaw broke up the shutout with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, 10-1, but was answered with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth for a 12-1 nightcap victory for the Wildcats.
Cassidy Ostema (1-3) suffered the loss after throwing two-thirds of an inning and allowed four hits, five runs, and struck out two batters.
The Pilots face the Huntington Foresters at Gardner Field for Senior Day with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.