Naperville, Ill. -- The Wheaton baseball team came into today's doubleheader with a spring in their step after pulling off a big win in Decatur on Tuesday night. But facing the ninth-ranked team in the country was always going to be a sizable challenge, and the Thunder did not manage to keep the positive momentum flowing this time around. After falling 16-6 in an eight-inning game to begin the day, Wheaton did well to make things interesting in game two. But the North Central Cardinals eventually prevailed, 6-3, to claim the doubleheader sweep. As a result, the Thunder drop to 3-3 in CCIW play and 6-14 overall.
The first contest of Saturday's meeting got off to a rough start for the visitors, as the Thunder failed to register a hit in the first two innings and conceded nine runs to their favored hosts. But Wheaton's bats came alive in the third frame and the team picked up three runs to establish an interest in the contest. After two hits put Wheaton runners on base,
Graham Core got the Thunder on the board with an RBI double down the left field line which brought
Tyler Weiner home.
Ben Weaver then earned an RBI of his own to bring
Harrison Stanton across home plate from third. Core rounded off the scoring by reaching the pentagon via a
Joe Klein RBI single. The Cardinals scored one more in the bottom to shore up a healthy 10-3 lead after the opening three innings. The next three followed a similar pattern, as Wheaton went three-up, three-down in the fourth and fifth innings before scoring three runs in the sixth. A solo home run from Weaver was followed by a two-RBI deep shot from
Mason Diel to give the Thunder a glimmer of hope. After holding their hosts scoreless in the bottom of the frame, Wheaton had three innings to make up an 11-6 deficit. But the orange and blue could only manage one more hit in the following two innings. In that span, North Central scored five runs of their own to build a ten-run lead and eliminate the need for a ninth inning. Despite two positive offensive sequences, the 17-8 differential in hits and Wheaton's five errors to North Central's one proved too much to overcome, and the Cardinals took game one, 16-6.
Ben Weaver collected two hits and two RBIs to go with a run to help lead the Wheaton batters in game one.
Mason Diel also earned two RBIs, while the rookie posted one hit and one run.
Joe Klein matched Weaver on two hits while scoring one run and collecting one RBI.
Graham Core registered one of each, and
Harrison Stanton and
Tyler Weiner each grabbed a hit and a run.
Alex Vlaisavich threw the lone strikeout for the Thunder in the first game.
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Game two got off to a more defensive start, and North Central found it harder to score on Wheaton than they did the first time around. While the Thunder only registered one hit through the first three innings, some sharp fielding from the away team compensated for the lack of offense. North Central had two runners on base in the bottom of the third inning, but an unassisted line out turned into a double play for Wheaton, and the underdogs kept their hosts scoreless. Wheaton then raised some eyebrows by taking a two-run lead in the top of the fourth.
Mason Diel delivered a two-RBI single through the right side that gave
Matthias Haggerty and
Ben Weaver enough time to break the deadlock. But a back-to-back double-single combo followed by a sacrifice fly from the Cardinals allowed the home side to immediately tie the score back up at two heading into the fifth inning. The next frame proved to be the decisive one, as North Central did not allow Wheaton to reach first base, then rattled off consecutive RBI doubles to create permanent separation. The next two innings went the same way as the opening three, and North Central's scoring output stopped at six, but Wheaton's lone score in the top of the ninth was not enough to make up the four-run hole. After
Mason Diel reached second on a Cardinals error,
Josh Ledbetter pinch ran for his fellow freshman and picked up the final run of the day for Wheaton via a passed ball. Two more hits and a walk saw Wheaton load the bases and have the chance to take a stunning late lead, but a clutch strikeout for the hosts helped them stave off the comeback attempt and complete the two-game sweep.
Mason Diel had the standout offensive moment for Wheaton in game two, as his lone hit produced two runs.
Matthias Haggerty grabbed a hit to go along with his score.
Kyle Wu,
Tyler Weiner, and
Zach Ledbetter each registered a hit, while
Ben Weaver posted one run. The Thunder won the errors battle in game two, committing one fewer than the Cardinals. But North Central's 9-5 advantage in the hits column ultimately made the difference in the final scoreline.
David Solfelt came in to pitch two innings of relief in the second game, and the senior threw three strikeouts without allowing a run in his cameo on the mound.
Joe Klein got the start in game two and picked up one strikeout of his own.
The bright side for the Thunder after today's losses is that they will have an immediate opportunity to get back into the win column. Wheaton travels to Bloomington to take on Illinois Wesleyan on Monday evening, before hosting the Titans in Carol Stream on Wednesday. A nonconference game against IIT is sandwiched in between these two contests, as Wheaton hosts the Scarlet Hawks at 6 PM on Tuesday.
