PICTURED ABOVE: Matt Schappell drove in the game-winning run with a triple in the top of the 10th inning in Thursday's 9-8 win over Muskingum.

Port Charlotte, Fla. - The Thunder baseball team outlasted a rain delay and a pesky Muskingum team on Thursday evening to earn a 9-8 victory in 10 innings. Wheaton took the lead five times in the game including in each of the last four innings, but it wasn't until the 10th inning that Wheaton was able to shut down the Muskies attack. With the win Wheaton improves to 4-4 on the season. Muskingum falls to 3-4 on the season.

Wheaton scored its nine runs on 11 hits while committing three errors. The Muskies scored eight runs on 10 hits with four errors. Casey Balikian pitched five strong innings for the Thunder, pitching around four walks to record two strikeouts and allow three earned runs. Peter Moran earned the victory, allowing three runs, two earned on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Tom Bishop earned the save with a scoreless 10th inning.

Wheaton jumped on top just three batters into the game when Kyle Mellinger doubled down the left field line to plate Matt Krause. Krause would come in to score when Tyler Sigler reached on an error later in the inning to give Wheaton a 2-0 lead. Wheaton answered a Muskie run in the bottom of the first with another run in the top of the second inning when Krause knocked a sacrifice fly to center field to score Kyle Trivits.

Muskingum cut the lead back to one again in the top of the third on a dropped fly ball that would've ended the inning allowed a run to score to make it 3-2. Wheaton pushed the lead to 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning when Andrew Laucella (PICTURED RIGHT) pushed a hit and run through the right side of the infield allowing Sigler to score all the way from first.

The Muskies responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth after a brief rain delay to take their first lead of the night at 5-4. Wheaton loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh but would only manage to tie the game on an RBI single by Matt Schappell.

Wheaton began the see-saw action of the final innings by retaking the lead when an errant throw on a bunt by Sigler allowed Mellinger to score to give Wheaton the 6-5 advantage. The Muskies answered with a two-out infield single to drive home their sixth run of the game to re-tie the game.

In the top of the ninth, Wheaton loaded the bases with nobody out and Krause drove in two runs with a single to right-center field scoring Trivits and Schappell. Down to their final out, Muskingum answered with consecutive doubles to tie the score at 8-8.

Laucella started the winning rally for the Thunder in the top of the 10th with a lead-off double to left-center and was replaced at second by pinch runner Matt Ferretti. Three batters later, Schappell battled off a couple 2-2 pitches before line a triple off the wall in right field to drive in Ferretti. Schappell was hero again to start the bottom of the 10th when his diving catch in short right field prevented the Muskie leadoff hitter to reach. Tom Bishop pitched around a hit and a two-out walk to throw a scoreless 10th and earn his first save of the season.

Wheaton will continue their Florida schedule on Friday when the Thunder face Beloit College in a doubleheader in Winter Haven, Florida at 1:30 PM (EST).