Carol Stream, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team closed out day one of its Round Robin Baseball Tournament on Friday with an impressive 9-3 victory against St. Mary's (Minn.). The day opened with No. 8 Aurora defeating St. Mary's 18-4 in game one, while Aurora picked up a 1-0 win against University of Dubuque in the second game of the day.

The tournament resumes on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. as Dubuque takes on St. Mary's at 11:00 a.m. Wheaton hosts Dubuque at 2:00 p.m. and the tournament concludes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday as the Thunder host the nationally ranked Spartans of Aurora.

Wheaton earned its 9-3 win against St. Mary's on Friday as the Thunder scored nine runs, on 12 hits, with one error. The Cardinals tallied three runs, on seven hits, with one error.
Freshman Alex Bagley (1-1) earned his first collegiate win in seven superb innings on the mound. He allowed two runs, on just three hits, with five strikeouts and one walk. Nathan Hedlund pitched two innings of relief, allowing one run, on four hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.

Thunder first baseman Jacob Snyder was 4-for-5, hitting two doubles, with two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Designated hitter Mason Diel was 2-for-3, with a run scored and a RBI. Kyle Wu was 2-for-4, with a double. Wu scored a run and drove in a run. Senior Harrison Stanton drove in three runs in his first game of the season, returning from an injury. Stanton was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Senior Joe Klein drove in two runs in the game, hitting the team's first home run of the season.

Wheaton broke the game open early with five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Hedlund led off the first inning for the Thunder with a walk and advanced to third base on a double by Snyder. Stanton hit an infield single to load the bases. Klein hit a sacrifice fly that sent Hedlund home to score the game's first run. Wu hit a single to the outfield that drove in Stanton and Snyder also scored as the result of a St. Mary's fielding error. Diel hit a single up the middle that drove in Wu. Catcher Luke Hamm hit a single to left centerfield that drove in Diel for Wheaton's fifth run of the inning.

The Thunder added two more runs in the bottom of the second inning to increase its lead to 7-0. Snyder led off the bottom of the second inning with a double down the leftfield line. Stanton then stole third base in the next at bat and scored on a sacrifice fly by Stanton. Klein blasted a home run to right centerfield for Wheaton's 7-0 lead.

St. Mary's scored two runs in the top of the third to trim Wheaton's lead to 7-2. The Thunder added two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to a two-run single by Stanton that drove in Matt Nelson and Hamm. St. Mary's added a run in the top of the ninth inning to account for the 9-3 final score.