Carol Stream, Ill. -- The bats have been particularly potent for the Wheaton baseball team in recent wins, and this pattern continued in Saturday afternoon's series decider against the Carthage Firebirds. The Thunder scored 14 runs off of as many hits to claim the weekend gauntlet two games to one and improve to 6-4 in CCIW play. Today's victory was Wheaton's fourth in a row in which they have reached double-digits in scoring, and five different players registered multiple runs in today's contest.
Carthage put up seven runs off of eight hits and made one error, while Wheaton committed none. The home side enjoyed important advantages in both the RBI and stolen bases categories, as the Thunder drove in 13 and snagged three to Carthage's seven and zero, respectively. The visitors did get the nod in number of doubles hit, but Wheaton posted two triples and a home run that the Firebirds failed to match.
Both teams managed to get runners in scoring position in the first inning, but neither side could capitalize and the runs would not arrive until the second frame. Carthage seized the lead when a single to center field drove in their first run after loading the bases. The Firebirds quickly added three more, and things threatened to get out of hand early for the Thunder. But a sharp double play initiated by
Graham Core limited the damage and Wheaton went into the bottom of the inning facing only a four-run tilt. The home side created some offensive momentum by halving the deficit in the bottom of the frame, as a
Jacob Snyder RBI triple was followed by a single from
Tyler Weiner to bring Snyder across.
Bjorn Bostrom then started to go to work from the mound and a three-up, three-down third frame prevented Carthage from extending their lead. Despite failing to take advantage of a bases-loaded situation in the bottom half, Wheaton looked likely to overturn the deficit, and the sizable home crowd helped the Thunder turn the tables on their visitors from the north.
After blanking Carthage once again in the top of the fourth, Wheaton's bats exploded off the plate and the hosts scored 12 runs over the next three innings to put the contest out of reach. A double from Core in the bottom of the fourth got the run started, before back-to-back ground out RBIs put the Thunder ahead for good. A three-run homer from
Joe Klein in the bottom of the fifth inning pushed Wheaton into double figures on the scoreboard and erased any hope of a Carthage comeback. The Firebirds managed to score three runs in the final four innings, but the combination of sharp pitching and fielding and a healthy lead for Wheaton stopped their conference opponents from putting the result in doubt.
Bjorn Bostrom got his first win of the season on the mound for Wheaton today, as the senior entered the game in the second inning and remained in place until the seventh, giving up only two hits and runs. Bostrom earned two strikeouts in his game-altering appearance.
JD Van Hook picked up the other strikeout for Wheaton as the game's starting pitcher, while
Josiah Livingston saw one inning of action and
John McCraith closed the game out from the mound in the final two frames.
Jacob Snyder was the man with the plan offensively for the Thunder, earning two hits and three RBIs in his pair of at-bats, while also scoring twice himself. Fellow junior
Ben Weaver joined Snyder on two hits and three RBIs and scored one run.
Joe Klein went for a team-leading four RBIs, while registering his lone hit and run of the game off of his fifth-inning homer.
Kyle Wu continued his impressive play in the batter's box by posting two hits and scoring three runs.
Zach Ledbetter picked up two runs, two hits, and an RBI, and
Graham Core had the same stat line.
Harrison Stanton scored two runs and posted one hit, while
Tyler Weiner registered a hit and an RBI.
After another high-scoring win, the Thunder will look to keep the momentum going when they host Illinois Wesleyan on Monday in the rescheduled second act of their conference doubleheader.
