ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Freshman Nadia Ranieri (Riverside-Brookfield HS, North Riverside, Ill.) threw a two-hit shutout and drove in the game's only run Tuesday, as Augustana picked up its first CCIW win in the opener of a doubleheader versus Illinois Wesleyan at Carver Field. The Titans bounced back to take the nightcap 7-2. The Vikings moved to 4-16 on the season and 1-11 in the conference and host a doubleheader versus North Central on Thursday, April 8. IWU is now 10-8 overall and 7-5 in the league.
 
AUGUSTANA 1, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 0
 
Ranieri didn't yield her first hit until Colleen Palczynski's one-out single in the top of the fourth.
 
Meanwhile, Titan starter Nina Mardjetko retired the first 10 batters she faced before hitting Sydney Ohrtmann (Freeport HS, Rockford, Ill.) with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Ashley Dehmlow (McHenry West HS, Spring Grove, Ill.) followed with Augustana's only hit of the game, a single to left that moved Ohrtmann to second. Both runners moved up on a throwing error and Ranieri's groundout to short brought in Ohrtmann with the only run of the contest.
 
IWU threatened in the top of the fifth. Kristina Sherwin drew a leadoff walk, but Ranieri eventually left her stranded at third. The Viking southpaw stranded Titans at first in the sixth and seventh, getting Toni Tortorella to ground to Molly Wrenn (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) at third to end the game.
 
Ranieri walked three and fanned five in seven innings, improving to 3-4 with the win. Tough-luck loser Mardjetko (2-2) allowed just three base runners, one of which reached on an error. She gave up just an unearned run while walking none and striking out four.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 7, AUGUSTANA 2
 
After Augustana left two runners on in the top of the first, Hayley Earl touched Erin Smith (Columbine HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) for a two-out single in the bottom half. Palczynski followed with a two-run homer to left for a 2-0 Titan lead.
 
Madison Moore led off the bottom of third with a single and eventually scored on an Earl groundout to make it 3-0. Sherwin's RBI double in the fourth pushed the lead to 4-0 and the Titans added three in the fifth.
 
IWU starter Natalie Grubczak blanked the Vikings through five frames.
 
Augustana got on the board in the sixth when Smith's groundout scored Ranieri, who'd reached on catcher's interference leading off. Nichole Nash (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) led off the seventh with a single to right and later scored the final run of the day on Ranieri's single to center. Grubczak got Kaitlin Rusin (Sandburg HS, Orland Park, Ill.) to line to second for the last out.
 
Grubczak went the distance, scattering seven hits, giving up just one earned run and walking two while fanning five to improve to 4-2 on the year.
 
Smith (1-6) went three innings and took the loss. Nash and Rusin each had two hits for the Vikings.