Tucson, Ariz. -- After a nail-biting loss and a heavy defeat on Saturday, the Thunder baseball team returned to the Kino Sports Complex on Monday afternoon seeking its first win of Spring Break and the season at large. Wheaton faced off against NAIA opponents, Waldorf University, and the matchup between the Thunder and the Warriors was another tight, defensive battle until a seven-run eighth frame allowed Wheaton to create separation on the scoreboard and seal its first victory of 2024.
The first Waldorf batter of the day registered a hit to get on base, but this turned out to be the only hit for either team until the third inning thanks to alert fielding and strikeout-laden pitching from both defenses. The Thunder finally got their first connection on the ball in the bottom of the third frame when
Jacob Snyder zipped it to center field and brought
Donovan Williams in to score after consecutive errors from the Warriors. Waldorf immediately threatened to tie the game and possibly take the lead in the top of the fourth inning when two runners made it into scoring position, but starting pitcher
Josh Ortiz secured the decisive third out by sitting down the final batter before any Warrior could score.
Each side then made a pitching change, and three subsequent innings of low-scoring, defense-heavy baseball followed. The Thunder turned a sharp double play in the top of the sixth that encapsulated the lack of offensive production in Monday's meeting, and it seemed as though Williams' lone score might be enough to decide the result. But Waldorf caught a break in the eighth frame when a hit-by-pitch situation, a fielding error, and a double into the outfield combined to produce two runs and hand the Warriors their first lead in sudden fashion. The Thunder were defensively vulnerable for the first time, and their Iowa opponents came close to extending their advantage. But arguably the moment of the game took place immediately thereafter, as an ambitious Warrior baserunner was caught trying to steal home plate, and reliever
Sean Smith then struck out the next Waldorf batter with another player in scoring position to limit the Warriors to just two runs.
Wheaton ensured that their competition would regret this missed opportunity, as the Thunder bats exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the inning to put the team ahead for good. The scoring once again began with Snyder earning a base hit and working his way up to third, before
Joe Klein rattled off a single to bring his fellow senior across the pentagon to tie the score at 2-2. A catastrophic defensive sequence then took place for Waldorf, with consecutive struck batters loading the bases and a dropped pop fly enabling Klein to cross home plate and push Wheaton back in front. The clinching score then came thanks to the rookie
Chris Lynam, who bashed a three-run double into deep left field to stretch the Thunder lead to an unassailable four runs. Waldorf barely mustered a comeback attempt in the top of the ninth, getting just one runner on base around Smith's pair of strikeouts that confirmed Wheaton's first win of the campaign.
Three pitchers got playing time for Wheaton today, with
Josh Ortiz racking up an impressive eight strikeouts in his first collegiate start. The freshman conceded just two hits from 16 batters faced in his four innings on the mound.
Rutledge Feltel came in for the next 3.1 frames and sat down three Warrior batsmen.
Sean Smith then earned his first collegiate victory in the pitching position by joining Feltel on three strikeouts, including the aforementioned pair in the final inning after Wheaton had established a comfortable lead.
Snyder went 2-4 at the plate this afternoon, scored one run, and earned a RBI. Lynam generated three RBIs from his power strike in the eighth inning, and Klein registered one hit, one run, and one RBI.
Kyle Wu also contributed a run and a hit while being struck by a Waldorf pitch on three separate occasions.
As good as today's victory will feel, Wheaton will not have much time to celebrate Monday's win. The Thunder are back on the diamond at 9:30 AM local time on Tuesday to take on Gustavus Adolphus College in another non-conference test.
