Waukesha, Wis. -- Following a busy weekend that saw the Thunder play four-straight home games across three days, the Wheaton baseball team returned to action on Tuesday in its first true road test since the start of the month. The Orange and Blue traveled across state lines this evening to visit Carroll University for both squads' opening CCIW contest of 2025. Tonight's matchup was a low-scoring, competitive affair that was not decided until the final inning, but Wheaton eventually claimed a 5-3 victory to snap a four-game drought against the Pioneers and begin its conference slate in successful fashion. The win improves the Thunder's record to 7-11 overall and 1-0 in CCIW action, while Carroll slips to 9-8 and 0-1 in conference competition.
Tonight's game began with an error by the home team, but this would be the only slip-up from the Pioneers across the nine innings, while the Thunder had to overcome four of their own to get the win. After getting on base, lead-off hitter
Noah Yi stole second and was then brought home to open the scoring by
Rutledge Feltel via a single up the middle. Carroll was not able to respond in its first batting series, as starting pitcher
Josh Ortiz struck out two Pioneers batters to begin his time on the mound. Wheaton then survived two errors and two Carroll runners on base in the bottom of the second to keep its narrow lead on the board. The third inning was the only frame of Tuesday's contest in which both teams scored. Yi popped off a double down the right field line, and
Braden Engel followed this with a single before Feltel replicated Yi's hit to bring the aforementioned pair in to score and push Wheaton's lead to three runs. But a ground out RBI and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the bottom half gave the Pioneers their first scores of the day and brought the home side back into the contest.
There was only one total hit recorded across the fourth and fifth innings, but it was a valuable one as it loaded the bases for Carroll, and a subsequent fielder's choice allowed the hosts' runner on third to tie the game at 3-3. But a fly out on the next batter helped Wheaton limit the damage and strand the remaining two runners to keep the score level. After sleepy sixth and seventh innings, the Thunder loaded the bases in the top of the eighth and threatened to pull clear of their hosts. But consecutive strikeouts bailed out the Pioneers and gave the home side the chance to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. Carroll managed to get a runner on third base, but the script was flipped, and Wheaton forced a strikeout and ground out to prevent the Wisconsin side from moving in front.
The decisive ninth inning began with
Luke Hamm and
Donovan Williams each drawing walks to get on base. After a passed ball let them move up one bag, Yi played the role of game-winner for the Thunder by driving both of his teammates in with a two-RBI single into right field to finally break the tie. Yi made it to third base himself via another Engel single, but the Pioneers then picked up three-straight outs to end the series and give themselves one more chance to tie or take the lead and win the game. Carroll got a base hit from the first batter in the bottom of the ninth, but a pitching change brought out
Sean Smith, and the senior slammed the door on the home side with a pair of fly outs and a third-out strikeout to seal Wheaton's first conference win.
The Thunder tallied ten hits to the Pioneers' six on Tuesday, limited Carroll to zero extra-base hits, stole two more bases than their hosts, and left four fewer runners on base to pick up a deserved road win.
Pitching was central to Wheaton's victory this evening, as all three Thunder throwers had solid showings on the mound. Ortiz sat down five Pioneers hitters and gave up just two hits from the 25 batters he faced through the first five innings.
JD Van Hook, fresh off of his save in Saturday night's victory over Marian, picked up his first win of the season via a scoreless three-inning appearance that saw him collect three strikeouts and walk just one Carroll batter. Smith then entered the game in the ninth inning and earned the save in confident fashion, not allowing any of the three Pioneers hitters he faced to get on base.
Feltel was the offensive standout for the Thunder tonight, posting three RBI from a 3-4 mark at the plate to spark Wheaton's offense early on. Yi and Engel were both 2-5, as the former scored twice and earned two RBI on the game-winning hit and the latter registered one run.
Jack Gill,
Payton McClowry, and Williams accounted for the Thunder's other hits this evening, with the former two and Yi each stealing one base, as well.
Having started its CCIW slate in the win column, Wheaton will make the trip to Wisconsin again this Friday for a matchup with the Carthage College Firebirds. The two sides are set to meet in a 3 PM game in Kenosha before playing the second part of their regular season series at Lee Pfund Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Thunder will then face Carroll again next Wednesday in the home leg of their two meetings this spring.
