GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Justin Swider hit two doubles and drove in three runs on Tuesday night.

Decatur, Ill. - The Wheaton baseball team earned a key CCIW 9-8 win on Tuesday night at Millikin University (8-21/2-16). Wheaton improves to 12-22 overall and 8-10 in CCIW play.

Tonight's victory moves Wheaton into a three-way tie with Carthage and North Central for fourth place in the CCIW standings and Elmhurst (7-11) is one game behind those three teams. All four teams are battling for a spot in the upcoming four-team CCIW Tournament as Wheaton faces Carthage this weekend in a three-game series and North Central takes on Elmhurst in a three-game set. For the Thunder to earn a spot in the tournament next weekend Wheaton needs to take at least two of three games this weekend against Carthage and North Central must win at least one game against Elmhurst.

Wheaton topped the Big Blue tonight with nine runs, on 10 hits and no errors, while Millikin scored eight runs, on 12 hits, with two errors. Junior Desmond Cato was 2-for-3, with a walk and a run scored. Justin Swider was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles as he drove in three runs and scored twice. Matt Schappell was 2-for-5, with two runs scored.

Thunder starting pitcher Peter Moran worked four scoreless innings as he scattered four hits with two strikeouts. Andrew Bayer pitched 1-2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run, on three hits. Tom Bishop worked 1-1/3 innings of relief, with no runs, and no hits allowed. Casey Moll allowed four runs, on two hits, with two walk in a third of an inning. Scott Mancini faced two batters, allowing two runs on two hits. Alex MaLossi faced two batters, allowing one run, on one hit, with one walk. Junior Evan Rahn (4-4) earned the win as he tossed 2/3 of an inning of relief, with no runs, no hits and one walk. Freshman Michael Kaufman (PICTURED RIGHT) picked up his first collegiate save, pitching the bottom of the nine as he held the Big Blue scoreless and hitless, with one strikeout.

Wheaton took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning as Josh Kimmel hit a leadoff single and he scored batters later on a Millikin error. Wheaton added four runs in the top of the second inning to increase the hosts' lead to 5-0. Swider hit a two-run double in the inning, as Phil Tuttle drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt and an additional run scored on a sacrifice fly by Kimmel.

Wheaton added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning as designated hitter Michael Szalach collected a two-run single and Swider drove in a run with his second double of the night. Millikin scored its first run of the night in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut Wheaton's lead to 8-1.

The Big Blue touched up the Wheaton bullpen for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game at 8-8. In the top of the ninth, Swider drew a two-out walk and advanced to third base on a single by Kauffman. Freshman shortstop Kyle Mellinger hit a single through the left side of the infield to bring Swider home and give the the Thunder what would become the go-ahead run. Kauffman entered the game as the pitcher in the bottom of the ninth and forced the Big Blue to fly out, ground out and then strike out on the final at bat of the game to give Wheaton the crucial win.