PICTURED ABOVE: Michael Kaufman struck out six in a complete game victory in game one of Wheaton's doubleheader sweep of Simpson College on Saturday.
Tucson, Ariz. - The cardiac kids struck again on Saturday night as Wheaton's youth movement led a late rally that gave the Thunder baseball team a doubleheader sweep of Simpson College in the first two games of Wheaton's annual spring trip. Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Wheaton tallied seven straight hits including three straight doubles as the Thunder scored eight runs to earn an 11-6 victory. Wheaton won the first game of the twinbill by a score of 5-2. Wheaton is now 3-2 on the season while the Storm fall to 1-3 on the year. Wheaton will face Marian University at 3 PM on Monday.
Wheaton scored five runs on eight hits with one error in the first game while holding Simpson to two runs on five hits with two errors. In the nightcap, the Storm tallied six runs on 12 hits. Wheaton notched 11 runs on 14 hits with one error.
Michael Kaufman earned the game one victory by tossing a seven-inning complete game while allowing only two runs and striking out six.
Peter Moran took the win in game two with four innings of scoreless relief work. Moran scattered just three hits and and struck out two.
The Thunder stuck quickly in their first game in the desert, pushing two runs across in the top of the first inning of game one on a bases loaded walk to
Andrew Laucella and a fielder's choice RBI by
Josh Kimmel. Simpson would answer with two runs in the bottom of the second to even the score.
Kyle Mellinger (PICTURED RIGHT) manufactured his own run in the top of the third with a leadoff bunt single followed by a steal of second base. Mellinger proceeded to also steal third base and trotted home when the throw to third sailed into left field. Wheaton would add to its lead in the top of the fifth when Kimmel was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and
JD Carpenter laced a single into left field to make it 5-2. Kaufman had no troubles nailing down the victory as he retired nine of the last ten hitters he faced.
Simpson returned the favor in game two by scoring two unearned runs in the top of the first inning and adding to the lead with four runs in the top of the third inning that chased Thunder starter
Daniel Bayer. Wheaton was able to answer with one run in the bottom of the first inning when Kimmel tripled to left and
Ben Brittain drove him home with a single.
Wheaton cut into the Simpson advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning when consecutive singles by
Jacob Zeller and Kimmel led to a pair of runs on a Mellinger sacrifice fly and
Andrew Laucella single to make it 6-3 in favor of the Storm. That score would hold until the bottom of the sixth when the Thunder bats awoke against the Simpson bullpen.
John McKenna led off the inning with a double to left center and came around to score on Zeller's single to left field. Kimmel followed with his second triple of the game, this one to right-center field. Brittain tied the game at 6-6 with a single through the right side and quickly came around to score on Mellinger's double down the left field line. Laucella and Morrison followed with consecutive ringing doubles to give the Thunder a 9-6 edge. After another Simpson pitching change,
Evan Ogden welcomed the new pitcher with a thunderous home run to right-center field to cap the damage at 11-6, which would become the final after Moran slammed the door in the seventh inning.
Hitting at the top of the order, Zeller, Kimmel and Brittain combined to go 7-for-11 with six runs scored and four RBIs to lead the Thunder offense in game two. Laucella and
Clay Morrison also tallied multi-hit games for the Thunder.
Wheaton will return to action on Monday with a 3 PM matchup against the Marian University Sabres.
