Carol Stream, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team hosted University of Chicago (18-11) on Tuesday night in a non-conference contest at Lee Pfund Stadium. The Thunder defeated the Maroons 11-5 as Wheaton improved to 14-16 on the season.
Tonight's victory marked Wheaton's eighth win in its last 10 contests. The Thunder travel to North Park on Friday night for a 6:00 p.m. matchup against the Vikings. Wheaton returns home on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against Carroll.
The Thunder earned tonight's 11-5 victory against UChicago as Wheaton scored 11 runs, on 10 hits, with one error and Chicago tallied five runs, on five hits, with one error. The hosts utilized nine pitchers tonight, scattering five hits. Starter
John McCraith pitched one scoreless inning, with no hits allowed one strikeout and two walks.
Jacob Rans allowed one earned run in 2/3 of an inning as he allowed one hit, with four walks and one strikeout.
Bjorn Bostrom (2-1) earned the win in 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Bostrom (PICTURED LEFT) held the Maroons hitless with one walk.
Alex Vlaisavich pitched an inning of scoreless relief, allowing no hits, with two strikeouts and two walks.
Caleb Downing allowed one earned run in an inning of work as he walked four and struck out one.
Josiah Livingston allowed one run in his one inning of work, as he scattered two hits.
Rutledge Feltel pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing two runs, including one earned run, on one hit, with two walks.
Caleb Vankerkhoff pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings, scattering one hit, with two walks.
David Solfelt pitched an inning of scoreless relief, allowing no hits, with three strikeouts.
Centerfielder
Ben Weaver was 2-for-3, with two walks, four RBI and one run scored. Weaver hit a double and he moved past his own school record for triples in a season, set last year with six, in hitting his seventh three-bagger of the year. The junior leads the CCIW with seven triples, a mark that is tied for second in Division III this season. Weaver now has 13 career triples, a school record.
Harrison Stanton (PICTURED RIGHT) was 2-for-4, with a double, two walks drawn, two runs scored and an RBI.
Graham Core was 2-for-6 with a run scored. Freshman designated hitter
Mason Diel hit his third home run of the season and right fielder
Zach Ledbetter added a double.
Wheaton scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to gain the early 2-0 lead. Stanton led off the game with a double in the gap in left centerfield, two batters later Weaver drove him in with a triple to right centerfield. Weaver scored in the next at-bat as
Joe Klein drove him in. The Maroons scored a run in the top of the second inning to trim the Thunder lead to 2-1.
Matthias Haggerty led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a well-placed bunt single and he scored two batters later, on a single by pinch hitter
Tyler Weiner to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead.
The Maroons scored a run in the top of the fifth inning. Diel hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to increase Wheaton's lead to 5-2. Chicago scored a run in the top of the sixth and Wheaton added two more in the bottom of the sixth as the hosts led 7-3 after six innings. Weaver drove in both Thunder runs in the sixth on a ground-rule double over the centerfield fence.
The Maroons added two runs in the top of the seventh inning to cut Wheaton's lead to 7-5. The Thunder added a run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Weiner scored on a balk.
The Thunder scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to account for the 11-5 final score. Stanton drew a bases load walk to bring a run home and Weaver brought a run across with a sacrifice fly.
