BLOOMINGTON, Ill. —Illinois Wesleyan rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win the opening game of a doubleheader with Augustana 5-4 in nine innings Wednesday, then completed the sweep with a 6-1 win in the nightcap. The Vikings fell to 6-20 on the season and 3-15 in the CCIW, while the Titans improved to 19-9 and 16-6, respectively.
 
Coach Kris Kistler's squad is in action next at North Central on Saturday, April 24.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 5, AUGUSTANA 4 (9)
 
Augustana jumped on top 1-0 after a half inning in the opener. Freshman Nadia Ranieri (Riverside-Brookfield HS, North Riverside, Ill.) led off with a single to left and later scored on Erin Smith's (Columbine HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) RBI single to left. IWU starter Nina Mardjetko narrowly escaped further damage, as the Vikings had two baserunners throw out trying to score in the frame.
 
Jannae Mehaffey (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) homered to right center on Mardjetko's first offering of the second inning to make it 2-0 and the guests added two more in the fourth. Morgan Bielfeldt (St. Viator HS, Chicago, Ill.) had a two-out double to right and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Natalie Grubczak came on in relief of Mardjetko and Ranieri greeted her with a two-run single to left to make it 4-0.
 
Ranieri retired the first eight batters she faced and handcuffed IWU for three innings, but the Titans got to her for four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Hannah Heraty drove in the first two with a double. Kristina Sherwin added an RBI double and Toni Tortorella knocked in the tying run with a single through the middle.
 
Grubczak and Viking reliever Cecelia Peine (Holt HS, Wentzville, Mo.)  both blanked the opposition through the next three innings to send the game to extras. They matched goose eggs in the eighth as well and Grubzak put up another in the Augustana ninth. In the bottom half, Sherwin finally got to Peine for a one-out walk-off homer to win it. It was the only hit the Viking surrendered in her five innings.
 
Grubczak, who who fanned eight in 5 1/3 scoreless innings, earned her eighth win in 11 decisions. Peine (0-5) was the tough-luck loser. Ranieri, Tristan Bautista (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) and Josie Smith (St. Francis HS, Wheaton, Ill.) each had two hits for Augustana.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 6, AUGUSTANA 1
 
The Titans broke open a tight game with two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to take the nightcap 6-1.
 
IWU took a 1-0 lead against Erin Smith in the top of the second. Colleen Palczynski drew a leadoff walk and eventually scored on Sherwin's fielder's choice grounder.
 
Smith quieted the Titan bats until the fifth, when a Sherwin single and a Lexy Trammell home run extended their lead to 3-0. Palczynski touched reliever Amanda Page (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) for a leadoff homer in the sixth and IWU added two more in the frame. Trammell delivered an RBI single.
 
Titan starter Bailey Turner surrendered her only run in the sixth. Jennifer Sears (Marist HS, New Lenox, Ill.) coaxed a leadoff walk and came around to score on Josie Smith's single to center.
 
Turner retired the Vikings in the seventh to move to 2-1 with the complete-game win. Erin Smith (2-8) went 4 1/3 innings and suffered the loss.
 
Kaitlin Rusin (Sandburg HS, Orland Park, Ill.) had two hits for Kistler's club.