(Cicero, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's softball team smashed seven home runs in a doubleheader sweep at Morton College on Sunday to clinch the 2023 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship. The Chiefs (26-12) trounced the Panthers in the opener 13-1 in six innings to secure at least a share of the title by handing the Panthers their second loss in ISCC play. Highlighted by Emily Hurst's record-breaking 16^th home run of the season and Taylor Hamaker's third long ball of the day, Waubonsee then held on to take game two 8-6. In the process the Chiefs moved their ISCC record to 10-0, while the second-place Panthers dropped to 7-3 with two games remaining. The conference title is the 10^th for Waubonsee's softball program, first since 2017 and first under the direction of head coach Joe Spitzzeri.

The Chiefs' were led by the one-two punch of Hurst and Hamaker, which somewhat sounds like a potential law firm, something a retired trial lawyer like Spitzzeri could relate to. As she has done all spring Hurst made her opening remarks with her bat. Waubonsee's powerful lead-off hitter started the day with a bang as she drilled the third pitch of game one over the right field fence for her 15^th home run of the season. That tied Nicole Krupp's 2018 single-season program mark also set at Doss Field just off Cicero Avenue.

Sarah Sandusky led off the third inning with a double to left and later scored on a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 Waubonsee lead. The Chiefs then began to pull away as Hamaker presented her case by launching a two-run homer to left field in the top of the fourth. Waubonsee then pulled away by scoring four runs all after two were out in the fifth inning. Kayla Tranter singled to left field to bring home Katie Baker who had doubled to center field two batters earlier. After Dyani Rivera drew a walk, Hamaker hammered her second longball of the game to straight away center field for a 3-run homer and 8-0 lead.

Ariana Ikis then led off the sixth inning with a home run to dead center, the first round-tripper of her collegiate career. Sandusky and Hurst followed with singles and Baker put Waubonsee in front 10-0 with a sacrifice bunt. After a Morton error Tranter slugged a 3-run bomb to center field to declare the case closed. Taylor Warren then rendered the final verdict as she set down the Panthers in order in the bottom half of the frame to end the game by the slaughter rule. Hurst, Hamaker, Tranter and Sandusky each finished with two hits apiece, while Warren earned her 16^th win in the circle by allowing just two hits while striking out 13 and walking just one.

In game two Waubonsee jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning highlighted by Hurst's record-breaking home run. Ikis began the frame with an infield single before Sandusky singled to center. After she fouled off four straight pitches, Hurst solidly connected on the fifth delivery by Morton pitcher Mikayla Berquist, lining a 3-run homer to right field to set a new Chiefs' mark for homers in a season. However, Morton came back to tie the game with a 4-run fifth inning. Waubonsee immediately responded to surge in front once more. Hamaker lofted a one-out, two-run homer to right field, her third blast of the day to give the Chiefs a 6-4 lead. After singles by Ikis and Chelsea Born, Sandusky ripped a two-run triple to the right field corner to give Waubonsee a four-run lead with six outs to go.

Morton quickly got one of those runs back as Emily Bickett led off the sixth with a solo home run to left field off Warren. The Panthers' Itza Gonzalez then led off the seventh inning with a solo home run to right field to make it a two-run game. After a strikeout and hit batsman, Hamaker came on to pitch inducing a ground out and pop out to end the game, completing the sweep. Sandusky finished the game 3 for 3 with two runs knocked in, while Ikis and Warren each registered two hits. Warren also picked up the win in the circle, her 17^th of the season, by scattering four hits over six innings of work.