Carol Stream, Ill. – The Thunder baseball team was a 15-6 victor (BOXSCORE) against North Central on Wednesday in the regularly scheduled nine-inning CCIW contest between the two clubs. Before that game, the two teams resumed their game from last Tuesday that had been called after eight innings due darkness. A Dan Falvey sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning in the resumed game was enough to get Wheaton the 9-8 victory over the Cardinals (BOXSCORE).

Wheaton won all three games against the Cardinals this season, as Wheaton picks up its first three-game sweep of a CCIW opponent since the Thunder took three against North Park in the 2005 season. With the sweep of the season-series against the Cardinals, Wheaton improves to 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the CCIW. North Central is now 5-13 overall and 0-8 in conference play. The Thunder will host Millikin on Friday at 3 PM to begin a three-game series with the Big Blue.

In the 15-6 Thunder victory in the regularly scheduled game, Wheaton scored 15 runs, on 15 hits, with no errors and North Central scored six runs, on 10 hits, with five errors. Freshman Zach Fallon (2-0) earned the win in six innings of scoreless relief. Fallon scattered four hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. Starting pitcher Ed McCaskey allowed six runs, on six hits, with three walks and a strikeout.

Sophomore shortstop Brian Kolb went 3-for-5, with a double and two stolen bases as he drove in three runs and scored three times. Senior Matt Bradley went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Senior leftfielder Luke Munch was 2-for-3, with four runs scored, a RBI, a stolen base and a double. Sophomore Mark Price was 2-for-4, with two runs scored and a RBI. Danny Pyne was 2-for-5, with a run driven in.

North Central starting pitcher Erik Hudson took the loss in 3-1/3 innings of work as he allowed eight runs, on nine hits, with a walk and two strikeouts. Third baseman Nick Robinson led the Cardinals' offense as went 3-for-5, with a run scored.

A sacrifice fly by Kolb and a RBI-single by Price helped Wheaton jump out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Wheaton's lead increased to 6-0 with four runs in the bottom of the second. Munch and Josh Weaver each drove in a run and Kolb hit a two-RBI single in Wheaton's four-run inning. North Central mustered six runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 6-6.

RBI-singles by Nate Pugh and Bradley paired with a Cardinal throwing error and a RBI by Weaver gave Wheaton a four-run output in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the hosts a 10-6 lead. Wheaton scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to account for the 15-6 final score. RBI-singles by Bradley and Danny Pyne, along with a sacrifice fly by Falvey helped the Thunder cause in the inning.

In the resumed game from last week, Nate Pugh led off the top of the ninth inning with a double down the leftfield line. A single by Pyne advanced Pugh to third base and the catcher scampered home when Falvey hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Thunder the 9-8 advantage. Josh Weaver who was the pitcher of record when play was halted last Tuesday retuned to the mound today to earn the victory and improve his season record to 3-2.