Louisville, Ky. - The Thunder baseball team concluded its three-game trip to Louisville to face the Golden Eagles of Spalding University concluded on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader. Spalding (2-4) swept the Thunder, winning game one 5-4 (in 10 innings) and the hosts won the nightcap 10-5. Wheaton is now 1-2 on the season, and is off until next Saturday when the team begins its Spring Break trip to Tucson, Arizona. The Thunder open the trip on March 5 with games against Aurora University and Emerson College.
 
Spalding won today's opener 5-4 in 10 innings as the Golden Eagles scored five runs, on six hits, with no errors. Wheaton tallied four runs, on three hits, with two Thunder errors in the field.

Walks plagued the Thunder in the game, as Wheaton pitching allowed 16 free baserunners in the game. Wheaton tallied four runs, on three hits, with two errors. Thunder starting pitcher Brendan Dyer pitched 2-2/3 innings, as he allowed three runs, on four hits with two strikeouts and five walks. JD Van Hook pitched 2/3 of an inning of relief as he allowed one unearned run, on no hits, with two walks and one strikeout. Alex Vlaisavich worked 3-2/3 scoreless innings in his collegiate debut as he allowed no hits, with five walks, and four strikeouts. Nate Barker pitched an inning of scoreless relief as he held Spalding hitless, with two walks allowed. Bjorn Bostrom (0-1) appeared for the second-consecutive game. Bostrom worked one inning as he allowed one run, on two hits, with two walks allowed.

Senior first baseman Graham Core collected two of Wheaton's three hits in the game. Core was 2-for-4, with a double, he drew a walk and scored twice. Infielder Kyle Wu had Wheaton's third hit, collecting a two-run double in the top of the fourth inning. Wu also drew a walk and scored a run for the Thunder.

Spalding scored once in the bottom of the second inning and added two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-0 lead. The Thunder scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Core and Joe Klein drew walks, and scored on the at bat following Klein's walk as Wu hit a two-run double to right centerfield. Tyler Weiner and Jacob Snyder followed by drawing walks to load the bases. Matt Nelson then drew a bases loaded walk to bring Wu home and tie the game at 3-3.

Spalding responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with a run to regain the lead at 4-3. Core hit a two-out double to leftfield in the top of the ninth to keep Wheaton's hopes alive. He scampered to third base on a Spalding wild pitch. Matthias Haggerty drew a walk in the at bat that followed. Klein was the next Thunder batter and in his at bat, Spalding again tossed a wild pitch as Haggerty reach second base and Core scored a run to tie the contest at 4-4. Klein drew a walk, but Wheaton was unable to score the go-ahead run. Wheaton was unable to score in the top of the tenth, and Spalding scored on a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth to win the opener.

Spalding won the second game 10-5 as the Golden Eagles scored 10 runs, on eight hits, with two errors. The Thunder plated five runs, on 10 hits, with two errors. David Solfelt (0-1) started the game on the mound for the Thunder, working three innings. He allowed five runs, including four earned run, on five hits, with two strikeouts and one walk. Jacob Rans allowed four runs, on two hits with two walks as he faced four batters. Daniel Larimer pitched one scoreless inning, with one walk. Caleb Downing pitched four innings, allowing one run, on one hit, with five strikeouts, and four walks.

Stanton and Nelson each went 2-for-4 in the nightcap. Designated hitter Mason Diel was 2-for-5 for the guests. Nelson hit a home run in the contest, while Stanton and Larken Lancaster each hit a double for the Thunder.
Wheaton scored two runs in the top of the first inning as Haggerty hit a RBI-single and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch. Spalding plated a run in the bottom of the first inning to cut Wheaton's lead to 2-1. The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning and added two more in the third to take a 5-1 lead.

Lancaster led off the top of the fourth inning with a double down the rightfield line. Nelson followed on the next at bat with a two-run home run to cut Spalding's lead to 5-4. However, the Golden Eagles responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to increase the guests' lead to 9-4.
Spalding added a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to increase its lead to 10-4. Core scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning to account for the 10-5 final score.
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