PICTURED ABOVE: Daniel Bayer earned the winning in eight innings as he scattered five hits and allowed just one run.

Kenosha, Wis. – The Wheaton baseball team picked up a key CCIW win at Carthage (15-5, 6-3 CCIW) on Wednesday afternoon with a 5-1 win against the Red Men. Wheaton improves to 10-15 on the season and 5-4 in conference play.

Wheaton tallied five runs, in 10 hits, with no errors and Carthage scored one run, on six hits with no errors. Thunder junior Daniel Bayer (1-2) earned the win in eight innings of work. He allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Junior Peter Moran pitched one inning of scoreless relief as he allowed one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

Junior Kyle Mellinger (PICTURED LEFT) was 2-for-3, with one run and a pair of stolen bases. Designated hitter Andrew Laucella was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Matt Schappell hit 2-for-4 on the day.

Carthage scored its lone run in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Wheaton tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning on a RBI-single by Laucella.

John McKenna scored on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth to give Wheaton a 2-1 lead and later in the inning Josh Kimmel drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 Thunder. Laucella (PICTURED RIGHT) drove in two runs with a double in the top of the eighth inning to increase Wheaton's lead to 5-1.

The Thunder faces North Central this weekend for a key CCIW series. Wheaton travels to Naperville to face the Cardinals on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and the two teams will play a doubleheader at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m.