Carol Stream, Ill. – The Thunder baseball team hosted four games as part of a revamped Wheaton Invitational II on Friday at Lee Pfund Stadium. Concordia-Moorhead and Calvin split a doubleheader to open the days action. Wheaton hosted Hope College in the second doubleheader of the day. The Flying Dutchmen won the first game of the twinbill 6-1. The Thunder won a marathon 15-inning outing in the nightcap, 6-5. The 15-inning outing is the longest for the Thunder since a 3-2 win against Elmhurst in 15 innings on May 7, 2021.
This weekend's event is slated to conclude on Saturday with a single nine-inning game at 3:00 p.m. between Wheaton and Calvin.
Wheaton hung on to win an epic 6-5 victory in 15 innings in the final game of the day that lasted three hours and 40 minutes. The Thunder scored six runs, on 16 hits, with three errors and Hope tallied five runs, on 11 hits, with three errors. Thunder starting pitcher
Jared Kloth allowed one earned run, three total runs, on three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
John McCraith pitched four innings of relief, allowing two runs, on four hits, with four strikeouts and no walks.
Sean Smith tossed two innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit, with two strikeouts.
Rutledge Feltel (PICTURED LEFT) worked five outstanding innings of scoreless relief, with two hits and three strikeouts.
Josiah Livingston (1-0) earned the win in one inning of scoreless relief as he allowed one hit. In the eight innings of extra innings, Wheaton pitching held Hope scoreless, scattering four hits with five strikeouts and no walks allowed.
Jacob Snyder was 3-for-5 at the plate, with two runs scored, including the game-winning run in the 15
th innings.
Ben Weaver was 3-for-6, with two RBI.
Kyle Wu was 3-for-7, with a double in the game.
Harrison Stanton was 2-for-7, with two runs scored and two RBI.
Hope scored three runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-1 lead. Weaver hit an infield single in the bottom of the third inning that drove in Stanton to cut the Hope lead to 3-1. The Thunder scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.
Noah Yi hit an RBI-single in the inning and Weaver drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Hope scored a run in the top of the fifth inning and added another run in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5. Neither team scored in the seventh as the game entered extra innings.
The Thunder bullpen shined in extra innings. The trio of Smith, Feltel and Livingston allowed just four hits in eight innings. Snyder led off the bottom of the 15
th inning with single to rightfield, and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Snyder moved to third base on ground out by
Larken Lancaster. Hope intentionally walked Yi to bring up catcher
Tyler Weiner (PICTURED RIGHT).Weiner lofted a single into left field that brought Snyder home to end the outing.
Hope was a 6-1 victor in the first game of today's twinbill. Hope scored six runs, on five hits, with no errors and Wheaton tallied one run, on six hits, with no errors. Wheaton starting pitcher
Brendan Dyer allowed three runs, in 2-2/3 innings as he held Hope hitless, striking out four with seven walks. Caleb Vankerkhoff pitched 3-2/3 innings of relief. He allowed three runs, on five hits, with two walks.
Simeon Downing tossed 2/3 of an inning of relief, with one walk allowed and one strikeout.
Wu was 3-for-4, with an RBI. Lancaster was 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Hope scored a run in the first and added two in the third as the guests led 3-0 after three innings. Hope added another run in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead. Wu drove in a run with an RBI-single in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Flying Dutchmen scored twice in the seventh to account for the 6-1 final score.
