Carol Stream, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team (6-8) hosted Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) for the non-conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Lee Pfund Stadium. The twinbill was slated to be a pair of seven-inning contests today. Wheaton rallied to win the first game, 2-1 in nine innings. MSOE (6-5) earned a 9-2 victory in game two.

Wheaton was a 2-1 victor in the first game as the Thunder scored two runs, on four hits, with no errors and the Raiders scored one run on six hits, with two errors. Thunder starting pitcher Nate Barker worked five innings as he allowed one run, on five hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Brendan Dyer pitched 1-2/3 innings of scoreless relief, with no hits allowed two strikeouts and three walks. Sean Smith worked two innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, with two walks and two strikeouts. John McCraith (3-0) earned the win in 1/3 of an inning of scoreless relief.

Thunder first baseman Jacob Snyder (PICTURED LEFT) was 2-for-5, with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Harrison Stanton was 1-for-2 with a walk, and he was hit by a pitch. Centerfielder Matt Nelson was 1-for-3.
The Raiders scored the game's first run in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. Snyder led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a long double to rightfield and he later advanced to third base on a passed ball. The passed ball proved critical as he scored on a sacrifice fly by Mason Diel to tie the game at 1-1. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of seven innings to send it into extra innings.

Kyle Wu reached safely on an MSOE fielding error to open the bottom of the ninth inning. Nathan Hedlund was hit by a pitch in the next at bat to send Wu to second base. Catcher Luke Hamm hit into a fielder's choice as Wu was out at third for the first out of the inning. During Nelson's at-bat Hamm and Hedlund completed a double-steal to put Hedlund at third base and Hamm at second with one out. Nelson then drew a walk to load the bases. Snyder had a hard-hit ball through the right side that got past the second baseman and drove in Hedlund for the game-winning run.

The Raiders responded by winning the second game 9-2. MSOE scored nine runs, on 10 hits, with two errors and Wheaton tallied two runs, on three hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Josh Ortiz pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing two runs, on three walks. Rutledge Feltel tossed 2-1/3 innings of relief, allowing five runs, on four hits, with one strikeout and one walk. McCraith returned in the second game to pitch 1-1/3 innings of relief. He allowed two runs, on three hits, with three walks. Caleb VanKerkhoff pitched three innings of scoreless relief, on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday evening to host another opponent from the Northern Athletics Conference (NAAC) as Concordia University Chicago visits the Thunder. Tuesday's contest against the Cougars starts at 5:00 p.m. at Lee Pfund Stadium.