Danville, KY — The Wheaton baseball team concluded its weekend trip to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon with non-conference games against Dominican University (Ill.) and Brevard College. The Thunder suffered losses to the Dominican Stars and the Brevard Tornados, falling 9–7 to the former in their first meeting since 2018 and 12–10 to the latter in the two program's first-ever matchup. The Thunder dropped to 1–6 on the season as a result of today's scorelines. Dominican opened its campaign at 1–0, while Brevard improved to 7–2.
In the first contest, Dominican struck early, scoring three runs in the opening inning on three hits, two walks, and a sacrifice fly. The Stars added to their lead in the second and fifth innings, building a five-run advantage entering the bottom of the fifth behind steady production from the top of their order.
Wheaton responded on its third time through the lineup, tagging Dominican's starting pitcher for three runs before adding three more against the bullpen.
Caleb Kelley sparked the rally with a single and later scored on a
James Scott sacrifice fly.
Charlie Scofield followed with a double down the line to greet the reliever, and
Mason Diel delivered a two-RBI single up the middle.
Sean Dmytrowicz then slipped a two-RBI hit down the first-base line but was thrown out attempting to stretch the double into a triple.
Nathan Hedlund entered the game following this six-run surge and escaped a second-and-third, no-outs jam with two strikeouts and a ground ball. He followed with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, leaning on his fastball to preserve momentum. Wheaton capitalized in the bottom half, taking a 7–5 lead on a Dmytrowicz sacrifice fly.
But Dominican reclaimed control in the eighth frame. After a leadoff flyout, a single and hit-by-pitch set up a three-run home run from the Stars' three-hole hitter, flipping the score. Dominican added another run before freshman
Jonah Moulton worked out of a bases-loaded jam to limit further damage.
Wheaton loaded the bases in the bottom half, but the Dominican closer executed key pitches to escape unscathed. The Thunder would not threaten again, dropping today's opener, 9–7.
Wheaton tallied 15 hits through the nine innings, drawing three walks and being hit by three pitches while striking out just six times. The Stars finished with 11 hits and committed just one error while stealing five bags in a sharp baserunning display.
Diel went 4-for-5 with two RBI. Dmytrowicz posted a double and three RBI, and
Jack Gill was 2-for-4 with a walk and a triple.
Tyler Burr grabbed three hits and scored once, while fellow rookie Scofield registered three connections, two scores, an RBI, and stole the Thunder's only base in game one.
Alex Bagley threw four innings, allowing two runs and striking out four. Hedlund added 2.1 innings with two strikeouts.
The nightcap against Brevard turned into an offensive showcase, featuring 22 combined runs and 30 hits. Wheaton struck first, plating three in the opening inning after
David Levengood retired the first three batters he faced.
Chris Lynam delivered a two-RBI single, and another run scored on a wild pitch.
Brevard answered with a run manufactured through small ball, using a sacrifice bunt to set up its first tally. The game settled briefly, with each side adding a run over the next two innings.
Jack Gill (
pictured right) ignited the bottom of the fifth, launching a first-pitch fastball over the Tornado bullpen for his first collegiate home run. Brevard countered with a three-run homer of its own in the top of the sixth to take a 6–5 lead and extended this margin by one run thanks to a wild pitch.
With the bases loaded on two outs in the bottom half, Gill delivered again, clearing the bags with a three-run single that skipped past the center fielder and rolled to the warning track.
Caleb Schauer followed with an RBI single to extend Wheaton's advantage to 9–7 entering the seventh.
The Tornados surged back with three runs in the top of the frame to reclaim a 10–9 edge. Wheaton tied the game when
Ryan Cartwright drove in the equalizer on a fastball he handled decisively.
Caleb Henderson provided a career-long two-inning outing in relief, keeping Wheaton within striking distance. But Brevard managed to push across two late runs and kept the Thunder off the board in the bottom half to secure the 12–10 final score.
The North Carolina side committed all three errors in game two but managed to steal four bases to Wheaton's two and tallied five extra base hits while stranding one less runner. Brevard's batters drew eight walks and struck out seven times, while the Thunder tallied two walks and just three strikeouts.
Gill powered the offensive effort in this evening's game, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI while leading all players with four runs scored. Scofield finished 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while Lynam added three hits and two RBI and scored once. Hedlund, Cartwright, and
Tyler Burr each recorded two hits, with the latter stealing a base and tallying one run.
James Scott contributed a hit and two runs in today's second contest.
Levengood worked 5.1 innings in the starting role, striking out four opposition hitters. Henderson sat down one batter over two innings, and
Austin Eilmes recorded his first collegiate strikeout on his 20th birthday to close out the mound rotation.
Wheaton travels to Tucson, Arizona for its Spring Break slate next weekend, opening its seven-game schedule in the Southwest against future CCIW opponent Concordia Wisconsin. The doubleheader between the Thunder and the Falcons begins Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CST.
