Bloomington, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team traveled to Illinois Wesleyan on Friday for a CCIW doubleheader against the Titans. Today's tilt was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved to today due to cold weather in Saturday's forecast for Bloomington. Illinois Wesleyan (13-8, 6-6 CCIW) won the first game today 20-6 and the Titans achieved the sweep by rallying in the bottom of the ninth to earn an 8-7 victory in the second game. The Thunder return to action on Wednesday with a non-conference matchup against Benedictine at Lee Pfund Stadium in a 6:00 p.m. first pitch.
The Titans won today's opener 20-6 in seven innings. Illinois Wesleyan's effort was aided by 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. IWU scored 20 runs, on 20 hits, with two errors and the Thunder scored six runs, on nine hits, with no errors. Nine Thunder players collected a hit in the opener.
Joe Klein hit a home run for Wheaton as
Mason Diel,
Tim Whitfield and
Noah Yi each belted a double.
Illinois won the second game 8-7 as the Titans scored eight runs, on 17 hits, with one error and the Thunder tallied seven runs, on nine hits, with zero errors. Thunder starter
Nate Barker worked six innings, allowing five earned runs, on 11 hits, with five strikeouts and one walk. Caleb Vankerkhoff pitched one inning of scoreless relief, scattering two hits.
Sean Smith pitched 1-1/3 innings of relief, allowing three runs, on four hits, with two walks and one strikeout.
First baseman
Jacob Snyder was 2-for-3 at the plate with one home run. Snyder drove in five runs, scored twice, and stole a base.
Kyle Wu was 2-for-5, with an RBI. Klein hit a double for the guests and
Larken Lancaster added a triple.
Wheaton gained an early lead with three runs in the top of the second inning. All three Thunder runs came on a three-run homer by Snyder. The Titans scored one run in the bottom of the second inning to trim Wheaton's lead to 3-1. IWU scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the Thunder advantage to 3-2.
The Thunder scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend the guests' lead to 6-2. Lancaster led off the seventh with a triple and scored on the next at bat on a sacrifice bunt by Snyder. Snyder stole second base and scored on a single by Wu. Stanton drove in Wheaton's third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly that drove in
Harrison Stanton. IWU responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut Wheaton's edge to 6-5.
The Thunder scored one run in the top of the eighth inning as Klein led the eighth off with a double and scored three batters later on an RBI-single by Snyder. IWU tallied a run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Wheaton led 7-6.
The Titans led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double, followed by a fly out to leftfield. An RBI-single for the hosts tied the game at 7-7. Following the single, there was an intentional walk to put IWU runners at first and second with one out. Jimmy Gurgone hit a single to centerfield that brought home the winning run for the hosts.
