GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 Kenosha, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team opened a three-game series against Carthage College on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader at Augie Schmidt Field. The conference foes split the doubleheader as Wheaton won the first game 16-15, and Carthage was a 5-3 victor in the nightcap. The two squads will conclude their series on Saturday with a single nine-inning contest at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream at 1:00 p.m.
 
Wheaton was a 16-15 victor in today's first game. The Thunder scored 16 runs, on 16 hits, with two errors, while Carthage had 15 runs, on 22 hits, with no errors. Thunder starting pitcher Alex Vlaisavich worked three innings, allowing eight runs, on nine hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Jared Kloth (1-0) earned his first collegiate win in three innings of relief. Kloth allowed five runs, on three hits, with eight hits, and two strikeouts. David Solfelt picked up the save in three innings of relief. Solfelt allowed two runs, on five hits, with two walks. Solfelt struck out four, including the final batter of the game with he bases loaded to secure the win for the guests.

Ben Weaver was 3-for-5 for the Thunder in the opener, drawing a walk. Weaver hit a double, scored a run, and drove in one run. Tyler Weiner was 3-for-5, with a run scored and an RBI. Harrison Stanton was 3-for-5, drawing two walks, with one run scored and one RBI. Freshman designated hitter Mason Diel had a strong game with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate. Diel hit a mammoth home run, drew two walks, scored four runs, and drove in three runs. Rightfielder Zach Ledbetter was 2-for-4, with a walk, three RBI and a run scored.

Carthage led 5-0 early as the Firebirds scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Thunder scored three times in the top of the second inning to cut the hosts' lead to 5-3. Ledbetter and Harrison Stanton each hit RBI-singles in the second, and Graham Core drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Carthage scored a run in the bottom of the second inning to extend its lead to 6-3.

The Thunder exploded with six runs in the top of the third inning to take a 9-6 lead. The key hit in the inning was as two-run double by Core. Weaver added an RBI-single, Ledbetter drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Kyle Wu drew a bases loaded walk. The Firebirds scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to trim the Thunder lead to 9-8.

Wheaton scored four more runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 13-8. Diel belted a two-run home run over the fence in centerfield in the inning. Ledbetter hit an RBI-single and later scored on a Carthage wild pitch. The Firebirds responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the Thunder advantage to 13-10.

Wheaton added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to increase its advantage to 15-10. Weiner drove in a run with an RBI-single, and Core drew a bases loaded walk that sent Wu across the plate. The Firebirds scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the guests' advantage to 15-13. Carthage added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 15-14 Wheaton lead.

Wheaton added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning as Diel drove in a run to increase the Thunder lead to 16-14. Carthage hit a two-out RBI-single to trim the Wheaton lead to one run at 16-15. Solfelt (PICTURED LEFT) struck out the final Carthage batter in the game with two outs and the bases loaded to secure the win for the Thunder.
 
Carthage won the second game of the twinbill 5-3. The Firebirds scored five runs, on 12 hits, with zero errors and Wheaton tallied three runs, on nine hits, with no errors. Thunder starting pitcher Joe Klein (2-3) pitched 6-1/3 innings. Klein allowed four runs, on 11 hits, with four strikeouts and one walk. Nate Barker pitched 1-2/3 innings of relief as allowed one run, on one hit, with a strikeout and three walks.
Stanton was 3-for-4, with a walk in the finale of the day. Third baseman Jacob Snyder was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI. Both of Snyder's hits were extra-base hits has he belted a home run and a double. Core added a double and drew a walk in the contest.

Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Snyder hit a two-run home run to rightfield in the top of the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Carthage scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2. The Firebirds scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 4-2 lead.

The Firebirds added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning to extend the hosts' lead to 5-2. Weaver and Haggerty, Wheaton's first two batters in the top of the ninth inning, were each hit by a pitch. Diel drew a walk to load the bases with no outs and was replaced by pinch runner Noah Yi. Kyle Wu hit a sacrifice fly to rightfield that brought Weaver home and cut the Carthage lead to 5-3 with one out. Carthage reliever Nathan Schnabel struck out the next two Thunder batters two end the game and the Wheaton threat.