Fort Pierce, Fla. – The Wheaton baseball team faced Thiel College on Monday to resume its Spring Break trip to Florida. Weather played a predominant role in the game as high winds were a factor, and late in the game, there were lightning strikes in the area. Due to the lightning and thunderstorm warnings that rolled the area, the game was sent into a delay with Wheaton leading in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs on the board. The game was resumed from this point this afternoon, and the Thunder picked up the third out they needed to secure a 7-5 victory. Wheaton's record is now 3-7 on the year, and the team will return to the Lawnwood Baseball Complex on Friday for a doubleheader against Westfield State University. Tomorrow's twinbill is set to begin at 1:00 PM local time.
Wheaton had seven runs on 11 hits and no errors in the game, while Thiel had five runs on 10 hits, and the Tomcats committed one error. Thunder starting pitcher
Jared Kloth pitched seven scoreless innings to earn the win, scattering six hits with 11 strikeouts and just one walk.
Joshua Liu tossed 1-2/3 innings of relief, allowing five runs on four hits, with five strikeouts and three walks.
Rutledge Feltel was on the mound for Wheaton for the game's last at-bat today and earned a save by forcing a fly out to right field that ended the contest at 7-5 in the Thunder's favor.
Feltel played as the designated hitter on Monday and was 3-for-5 at the plate, scoring one run. Shortstop
Noah Yi was 2-for-5 with a triple as he scored one run, and he collected a RBI.
Payton McClowry hit a triple and drew a walk as he scored a run, drove in a run and stole a base. Second baseman
Jack Gill hit a double as he scored one run and drove in a run.
Daniel Hillyer earned one hit and two RBI while also stealing a base.
Nathan Hedlund and
James Scott each contributed one run and one hit in the victory.
Wheaton started the game well as Yi led off with a triple to right centerfield. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Hillyer. In the next at bat, Scott hit a single and he later scored on a Thiel error as the Thunder led 2-0 at the end of the first inning.
The Thunder added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Gill drove in one run in the fourth and Yi hit a RBI single to extend Wheaton's lead to 4-0. In the top of the sixth, catcher
Luke Hamm was hit by a pitch and scored on the next at bat as McClowry belted a triple to right field to give the Thunder a 5-0 lead.
Wheaton extended its lead to 7-0 in the top of the eighth inning as Hillyer hit a RBI-single to drive in McClowry and Gill scored on a wild pitch. Thiel scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to cut the Thunder lead to 7-2. The Tomcats had a key three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to trim Wheaton's lead to 7-5. Feltel entered the game as a relief pitcher and had completed his warm-up pitches when the lightning alarm sounded, and the teams and fans were asked to clear the facility. The senior was finally able to make his appearance on the mound when the game resumed three days later and successfully helped Wheaton close out its third win of the season.
