Box Score

Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton baseball team ran its season record to 11-5 and surpassed last season's win total with a 7-5 victory over Aurora University on Wednesday afternoon at Legion Field.  The Thunder put up two runs in both of the first two innings and capitalized on a strong six-inning effort from junior starter Ed McCaskey (pictured left) on their way to the victory over Aurora, who fell to 8-10 with the loss. Wheaton is next in action at Augustana on Friday afternoon in a single game beginning at 3 PM.

McCaskey scattered nine hits over six innings and fanned six to collect his first victory of the season.  After giving up two runs on three hits in the game's opening frame, the Thunder starter settled into a groove and held Aurora scoreless through the next five innings.  A strong command of the strike zone keyed McCaskey's success as he walked only one in the outing.

The Thunder capitalized on an Aurora error in the first to put up two unearned runs and tie the score after the first.  Freshman Charlie Antal reached base on an error and scored on a double from sophomore Brian Kolb, and Kolb later came around to score on a groundout by freshman Omar Vargas.  Wheaton collected two more in the second on a two-run double by senior Dan Falvey and an additional two in the fifth when junior Josh Weaver (PICTURED RIGHT) and Vargas went deep in back-to- back at bats to lead off the inning. The Thunder picked up an important insurance run in the seventh when a Vargas sacrifice fly to centerfield brought Kolb in from third.

Aurora mounted a comeback effort with three runs in the eighth off of Thunder freshmen relievers John Pohl and Steve Dennison, but Dennison was able to limit the damage by getting Aurora's John Damore to pop out and end the inning with the tying runs on base.  Weaver came on to pitch a perfect ninth to seal the Thunder victory and collect his second save of the season.