Box Score

Decatur, Ill. - The Wheaton College baseball team rebounded quickly from an early deficit and swept the three-game series at Millikin University by a 12-6 score on Monday. The game was a make-up from Friday's rainout.

The Thunder improved its overall record to 11-16, including 4-8 in the CCIW. The Big Blue fell to 4-22 overall and 0-12 in conference.

Despite winning the first two games of the series by a combined total of 37-8, Wheaton found itself in a significant hole in the first inning. Four doubles by Millikin in the opening frame plated four runs against Thunder starting pitcher Drew Golz.

However, the visitors quickly made up the deficit the very next inning. A two-run double by Desmond Cato got Wheaton on the board, and Justin Swider soon followed up with a three-run homer. Swider's home run was the first of his collegiate career to put the Thunder up 5-4.

From then on, Wheaton kept the lead the rest of the game. Cato's sacrifice fly scored another run in the third inning to make it 6-4 and Justin Zeller's two-run homer in the fifth inning pushed the cushion to 8-4.

The Big Blue drew closer with one run in the fifth and another in the sixth. But Cato came through again in the seventh inning, knocking a two-run triple and scoring on an error. Wheaton lefty pitcher Phillip Tuttle then came on in relief and shut down the Millikin hitters, throwing three innings of hitless relief with three strikeouts to earn the save.

Golz earned the victory to even his season record at 3-3 with six innings of work on the mound. The junior allowed 10 hits, four earned runs and two walks with five strikeouts. Offensively, Cato went 2-for-4 with five RBI, Austin Driggers hit 3-for-5 and Zeller recorded a 2-for-5 day with two RBI.

Josh Schultz (2-4) took the loss for Millikin. He pitched five innings and surrendered seven hits and eight runs with two walks and two strikeouts.

Wheaton returns home for a game against Concordia (Ill.) University at 6 PM on Tuesday.