GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Jacob Zeller collected five hits and drove in three runs in Wheaton's 13-11 win at Sewanee on Saturday.

Sewanee, Tenn. - A wild afternoon went the way of the Thunder on Saturday as the Wheaton baseball team clinched a series win with a 13-11 victory over Sewanee. Wheaton jumped out to a big lead and held on down the stretch to finish its opening weekend with a 2-1 record. Sewanee falls to 4-7 on the season. Wheaton will resume its schedule next Saturday, kicking off its annual spring trip with games against Heidelberg and Mitchell in Punta Gorda, Florida.

For the second straight game, Wheaton recorded 17 hits, scoring 13 runs while committing six errors. Sewanee scored its 11 runs on 11 hits while make one error. Michael McCraith picked up the victory on the mound, allowing three runs on two hits in five innings of work. McCraith struck out three batters while walking four.

Wheaton's offense was clicking early on Saturday as Wheaton took a 1-0 lead just four batters into the game when Johnny Peltz singled home Nick Mailman (PICTURED RIGHT). Sewanee leveled the score in the bottom of the first but Wheaton regained the lead for good in the top of the second inning. John McKenna's leadoff double preceded a hit by pitch to Kyle Trivits. Two batters later, both came in to score on Mailman's single. Jacob Zeller followed by driving in the first of his three RBIs with a single and Peltz followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. Zeller added another RBI in the top of the fourth inning as well.

A four-run sixth inning and a three-run seventh inning looked like it would put the game on ice for the Thunder before Sewanee came charging back. After Zeller scored on a wild pitch, Clay Morrison doubled home Peter Newman, pushing the lead to 8-3. Morrison and Brett Albaugh would then come in to score on Evan Ogden's pinch-hit double. In the top of the seventh, Zeller singled home Mailman after he had led off the inning with a single and stole second base. After a double by Peltz, Morrison's sacrifice fly and Albaugh's single put Wheaton ahead 13-3.

Three Wheaton errors opened the flood gates for a six-run seventh inning by the Tigers to cut the lead back to 13-9. Sewanee would score another two runs in the home half of the eighth inning and put the tying run on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning but Nick Johnson was able to induce a pair of fly outs to end the game and allow Wheaton to escape with the 13-11 victory.

Zeller collected a career-high five hits in the victory, driving in three runs, scoring two runs and stealing two bases. Nick Mailman had four hits with two RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Peltz and John McKenna each had two-hit games with Peltz driving in two runs.