Carol Stream, Ill. - Another early deficit proved to be too much for the Thunder baseball team to overcome on Friday night. Wheaton gave up six first inning runs and could not catch up in an 8-4 loss to Calvin at Lee Pfund Stadium. The loss drops Wheaton to 1-3 overall while Calvin improves to 2-0 on the season. Wheaton will continue its weekend on Saturday with a split doubleheader against University of Chicago (11 am) and Calvin (5 pm).

Calvin took advantage of three first inning walks to strike for six runs in the top of the first inning, capped by a three-run home run. Brendan Dyer would recover to throw three shutout innings after the inital outburst to give the Thunder offense an opportunity to close the gap. Larken Lancaster's second inning single was followed by a triple to deep center field by Noah Ritchie to plate Wheaton's first run. Mason Packwood's groundout would bring home Ritchie to cut the lead to 6-2 after the second inning.

After an unearned run in the top of the fifth inning expanded the Calvin lead to 7-2, Wheaton answered again in the bottom half of the inning on Ben Weaver's two-run triple to make it 7-4. Weaver's triple would be the last hit of the night for the Thunder as the Calvin bullpen combined for three shutout innings as the Knights added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning for the 8-4 victory.

Noah Ritchie led the Thunder offense with two of Wheaton's five hits, and scored two runs with a stolen base. Matthias Haggerty walked twice and scored a run, reaching base in all three plate appearances.