Kalamazoo, Mich. – The Wheaton baseball team traveled to Michigan on Tuesday afternoon for its final scheduled non-conference game on the regular-season schedule for 2025. Wheaton rallied with five runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 9-8 victory against the Hornets.

Wheaton (15-21) travels to Elmhurst for a CCIW contest tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday's game against the Bluejays at Butterfield Park in Elmhurst has key CCIW Tournament implications for the Thunder.

In this afternoon's victory at Kalamazoo, Wheaton scored nine runs, on 10 hits, with two errors. The Hornets scored eight runs, on 11 hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher Micah Johnson pitched three innings, allowing three earned runs, on four hits, with four strikeouts, and three walks. Cole Daggett pitched three innings of solid relief. Daggett allowed one run, on three hits, with one walk allowed. Freshman Austin Eilmes pitched 1-1/3 innings of relief as he allowed four runs, including two earned runs, on three hits, with three walks. Freshman Liam Arnold (1-0) earned the victory in 2/3 of an inning of scoreless relief. Arnold did not give up a hit and walked two. Jack Lindsay picked up the save in an inning of work. He allowed one hit, no runs, struck out one batter, and walked one

Centerfielder Braden Engel was 3-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. The freshman hit a key two-run double in the ninth inning that was a big part of the key Thunder rally. Leftfielder James Scott was 2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored. Nathan Hedlund hit a double and scored twice for the guests. Designated hitter Rutledge Feltel was 1-for-2 with three walks as he scored once and drove one run in.
Wheaton put runs on the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the third inning. Daniel Hillyer led off the third with a single through the left side of the infield and he scored four at bats later on a RBI-single by Engel. The Hornets responded with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to give the hosts a 3-1 lead.

The Thunder scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the contest at 3-3. Feltel led off the top of the sixth with a single through the left side of the infield. In the next at bat, Engel hit a single and advanced to third base on a Kalamazoo throwing error as Feltel scored. Chris Lynam followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield that brought Engel home to tie the game 3-3. The Hornets responded with one run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 4-3 lead.

Hedlund led off the top of the seventh inning with a double to right field. He scored three batters later on a RBI single by Scott to tie the game at 4-4. The hosts countered in the bottom of the seventh inning with one run as Kalamazoo regained the lead with a 5-4 advantage. The Hornets added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to expand their advantage to 8-4.

Wheaton's offense surged in the top of the ninth inning. Hedlund led off the ninth inning with a walk and he advanced to second two batters later when Jack Gill reached first safely on a fielder's choice. Scott followed with an infield single to load the bases. Feltel walked in the next at bat to cut Kalamazoo's lead to 8-5. Freshman Michael Chang pinch ran for Feltel at first base and then Engle belted a two-run double to centerfield that drove in Scott and Gill as the guests trimmed the Hornets' lead to 8-7. Pinch hitter Noah Yi entered the game and hit a single past second base as Engel and Chang scored to give Wheaton a 9-8 lead.

Lindsay entered the game in the bottom of the ninth. He gave up a one-out double, but later struck out a batter for the second out and ended the game by inducing a fly out to right field to earn the save and the Thunder victory.