PICTURED ABOVE: Grant Howell struck out seven batters over seven innings of work in Wheaton's game one win over Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday.

Carol Stream, Ill. - The Thunder baseball team split a doubleheader against Illinois Wesleyan on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Lee Pfund Stadium. Wheaton rallied for a 3-2 victory in the opener but dropped the nightcap 15-4. With the win, Wheaton earned the series victory over the Titans, finishing the day with a record of 13-10 and 4-4 in the CCIW. Illinois Wesleyan is now 12-10 overall and 3-6 in conference play. Wheaton will be in action again on Monday when the Thunder travel to Decatur for a rescheduled game against Millikin University, beginning at 5 pm.

Grant Howell turned in an impressive outing on the mount as the game one starter. Howell limited the Titans to just two runs, one earned, in seven innings of work and struck out seven batters. Howell's only blemish came in the third inning, when the Titans struck for two runs on three hits and an error to take a 2-0 lead.

With the Titans pitching by committee, it wasn't until the bottom of the fifth inning that the Thunder offense was able to find its footing. Jacob Garrity led off the inning with a triple to right field and scored quickly when Graham Core followed with a single. Core was able to move around to third base but Wheaton could not plate the tying run.

Wheaton was able to manufacture the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning, beginning with consecutive walks by Jacob Garrity and Core. Nick Mailman advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt and Jesse Welch brought in Garrity with a squeeze bunt to tie the game.

Caleb Selk held the Titans scoreless in the top of the eighth inning and Johnny Peltz led off the home half of the eighth with a double down the left field line. Clay Morrison moved Peltz to third with a groundout. Joel Pierce battled Titan reliever Casey Becker for 10 pitches before lining a single over the drawn in infield to give Wheaton a 3-2 lead.

A pair of walks issued by Thunder closer Nick Johnson opened the door for a Titan rally in the top of the ninth inning. The Titans were able to advance the runners to second and third with two outs but the game came to a dramatic close when Ben Manski attempted to score on a ball that bounced away from Garrity at the plate only to be tagged out by Johnson at home to end the game. Johnson earned the save, his sixth of the season, to break Wheaton's single-season saves record.

Four of Wheaton's seven game one hits came from Peltz and Pierce who each had two hits. Garrity scored two of Wheaton's three runs.

In the nightcap, Wheaton jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first inning, taking the lead on a run-scoring groundout by Evan Ogden and adding on with a double by Pierce to score Peltz.

Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning before the Titans were able to take control of the game. Illinois Wesleyan struck for four runs in the top of the sixth inning and blew the game open with six more runs in the top of the seventh. Another run in the eighth and two more in the ninth allowed the Titans to claim the 15-4 victory.