Birmingham, Ala. – The Wheaton baseball team (0-1) opened its 2024 season on Friday afternoon in a matchup against Adrian College on the campus of Birmingham Southern University. The Bulldogs (1-0) held off a late Thunder rally to defeat Wheaton 9-5.
Wheaton closes its three-game trip to Birmingham with a pair of games on Saturday. The Thunder face No. 12 Birmingham Southern tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. (CST), followed by a matchup against LaGrange College at 1:30 p.m.
Adrian earned the 9-5 victory against the Thunder this afternoon as the Bulldogs scored nine runs, on 14 hits, with two errors. Wheaton tallied five runs, on eight hits, with three errors.
Senior
Nate Barker (0-1) took the loss on the mound as the starting pitcher for the Thunder. Barker worked four innings, allowing five runs, including two earned runs. Barker scattered seven hits, struck out two and walked one. Caleb Van Kerkhoff worked 2-2/3 innings of relief as he allowed four earned runs, on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Jared Kloth faced one batter, earning a strikeout. Freshman
Joshua Liu tossed two scoreless innings in his first collegiate game. Liu did not allow a hit, struck out two batters and allowed zero walks.
Nathan Hedlund was 3-for-3 at the plate for Wheaton, including a double, as he drove in two runs. Shortstop
Noah Yi was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored.
Adrian scored two unearned runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 3-0. Adrian tallied two more runs in the top of the fifth inning and four in the seventh to extend their lead to 9-0 through seven innings.
The Thunder offense broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning as nine Thunder batters had an opportunity to hit in the inning. Yi led off the inning with an infield single, and
Tim Whitfield drew a walk. On the next at bat there was a fly out for the first out of the inning.
Kyle Wu reached on an error as he moved to first base and loaded the bases. Designated hitter
Mason Diel hit a RBI-single to left field that brought Yi home as the bases remained loaded. Joe Klien drove in a Whitfield on a groundout to cut the lead to 9-2 with two outs.
Matt Nelson drew a walk on the at bat following Klein to load the bases again.
An Adrian wild pitch allowed Wu to score as Diel moved to third base and Nelson advanced to second. Hedlund belted a two-run single to rightfield that trimmed the Bulldogs' lead to 9-5. The inning ended on the next at bat with a fly out. Wheaton went three-up-and-three-down in the bottom of the ninth as the game ended in the 9-5 final result.
