BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Adie Nolley clubbed two home runs good for six RBIs to lead Wabash Valley to a 16-12 win over Southwestern, finishing off a doubleheader sweep in Great Rivers Athletic Conference softball on Wednesday.
The Lady Warriors, shedding a seven-game losing streak in the process, won the opener, 7-6. That left Jade Montgomery's club with a 19-34 record (14-18 in GRAC games) heading into Saturday's final regular-season home game against Shawnee (12 noon CDT).
Southwestern fell to 20-21 and 14-17 with the losses.
Nolley, a sophomore from Loogootee, Indiana, hit two three-run homers to lead the way at the plate in Game 2. In the third inning, her blast to left field gave the Lady Warriors a 9-1 lead. In the seventh, after Southwestern had stormed back to tie the game at 9-9, Nolley's shot to center provided some much-needed relief and the runs that put the visitors over the top.
Gracee Sullivan, who had a 3-for-4 game, also had a three-run homer, her fifth of the year, in the third, part of a seven-run frame.
But it took a matching seven-spot in the seventh for Wabash Valley to finally get control of the game.
Troy Wilke tacked on three RBIs with a 2-for-4 game at the plate. Other RBIs came from Abby Schreiner, Kinley Edwards, and Demi Wolfe.
Lexi Burris went 5 2/3 innings with the start in the circle. Kyrsten White followed with 2/3 innings, before Demi Wolfe wrapped up the win by getting the final two outs in the seventh.
In the opener, WVC pushed across what turned into the winning run in the top of the seventh inning – on a hit up the middle by Wilke - for a 7-2 lead. Southwestern produced four runs in the home half to pull to within 7-6.
But with runners at second and third and two outs, Demi Wolfe coaxed a fly ball to Wilke for the final out, preserving the win.
Wolfe worked the final five innings, after 1 2/3 by White, the starter, and 1/3 innings by Burris.
Both teams scored two runs in the third inning. But four runs in the fifth pushed the Lady Warriors ahead to stay, 6-2.
Sullivan, Wilke, and Marisa Lane each finished with two RBIs. Abby Schreiner, Lane, and Wilke each had a two-hit game.
Sullivan, with three hits, eventually finished the day with six hits in seven at-bats, to go with five RBIs.