GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Andrew Bayer picked up the pitching victory in seven innings of work on Friday.

Box Score

Fort Myers, Fla. – Behind a strong pitching performance from Andrew Bayer, the Wheaton College baseball team topped Ohio Northern University 8-2 on Friday.

The Thunder improved to 5-3 while the Polar Bears fell to 3-4.

For only the second time in eight games this year, the opposition scored first. A two-out single scored a pair of unearned runs for Ohio Northern in the top of the first inning. But that would be all that Wheaton would give up the rest of the way.

Bayer (1-0) threw a sharp seven innings on the mound for the Thunder. The 6-foot-5 sophomore righty kept the ball low and ONU's hitters off balance throughout. The Polar Bears only managed four hits off Bayer and the Wheaton hurler was more effective as the game wore on, inducing groundouts and line drives right to his fielders.

Wheaton's offense took the lead in the third inning. Four-straight hits to start the frame put one run on the board via a single up the middle from Justin Zeller. With two outs, Austin Driggers delivered a clutch two-run double that swerved past the left fielder and into the corner.

The one-run lead in hand, Wheaton then added to its margin in the final three innings. The Thunder loaded the bases and scored off a wild pitch and a walk from Drew Golz in the sixth. Desmond Cato stroked a stand-up triple in the seventh and scored on another wild pitch. John Jensen-Johnson then came through with a double to the fence in left-center field that drove in Taylor Howe.

Driggers (PICTURED RIGHT) wrapped the game up with another RBI double to left field in the eighth.

Reliever Jimmy McDonald preserved the win with two innings of hitless relief and three strikeouts.

Wheaton ended up with 14 hits and as all nine starters had at least one hit to their credit. Driggers went 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI. Ryan Miller, Howe and Jensen-Johnson also collected two hits each.

The Thunder will finish its spring trip with a doubleheader against Otterbein University (5-1) at 3 PM (ET) on Saturday.