Moline, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team (10-11, 3-2 CCIW) concluded its three-game series against Augustana on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Vikings. The Thunder earned the series win with a 10-4 victory in game one today. Augustana (14-6, 1-2 CCIW) rallied to win the nightcap 18-17 in 11 innings. The series win marks Wheaton's first advantage in a three-game series against the Vikings since 2019 when the Thunder swept Augustana 3-0.
The Thunder won today's first game 10-4 as Wheaton scored 10 runs, on 11 hits, with two errors. Augustana plated four runs, on six hits, with one error. Thunder starting pitcher
Alex Bagley (3-0) earned the win in five innings on the mound. He allowed two earned runs, on three hits, with two walks.
Jack Mazurowski pitched two innings of scoreless relief, striking out four batters and one walk allowed.
Kyle Grier pitched an inning as he allowed zero runs, on one hit.
Caleb Snyder pitched one inning as he allowed two runs, including one earned run, on two hits, with one walk, and one strikeout.
Third baseman
Chris Lynam was 2-for-5 with a home run as he scored two runs, with two RBI.
Jack Gill and
James Scott were each 2-for-5 in the outing. Designated hitter
Mason Diel collected a home run, while
Braden Engel and
Tyler Burr each added a double.
Wheaton gained an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as
Charlie Scofield and Engle each hit a RBI-double for the guests. Burr added a RBI-double in the top of the second inning and Gill drove him in with a RBI single as the Thunder led 4-0 after two innings. Augustana scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to cut Wheaton's lead to 4-2.
Lynam and Scott each hit a RBI-double in the top of the sixth inning to increase the Thunder lead to 6-2. Diel and Lynam hit back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the seventh inning for an 8-2 Wheaton advantage. Wheaton scored twice in the eighth inning and Augustana hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to account for the 10-4 final score.
Augustana rallied to win a slugfest in game two as the Vikings won 18-17. The hosts scored 18 runs, on 21 hits, with four errors and Wheaton plated 17 runs, on 16 hits, with two errors.
Scofield was 3-for-5 with three runs and one run driven in. Third baseman
Will Clegg was 3-for-6 with four RBI and a run scored.
Ryan Cartwright, Engle and Gill each collected two hits in the outing.
Wheaton scored twice in the top of the first inning as Clegg hit a one-run single and
Nathan Hedlund drove in a run. The Vikings scored once in the bottom of the first to cut Wheaton's lead to 2-1. Diel drove in a run in the top of the second inning to extend Wheaton's lead to 3-1. Gill and Clegg each hit a run-scoring double in the top of the fourth inning for a 5-1 Thunder lead. The Vikings added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Wheaton added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning as Scofield hit a RBI-single and Diel drove in a run. However, Augustana scored six run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the contest at 7-7. Each team scored twice in the sixth inning as Cartwright hit a RBI-double and Diel drove in a run.
Diel added a RBI-single and Burr drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the seventh inning to give the Thunder an 11-9 lead. The guests added two more runs in the eighth inning as Clegg hit a RBI-single and Gill scored on an Augustana balk with the bases loaded. The Vikings responded with one run in the bottom of the eighth to cut Wheaton's lead to 13-10. Augustana scored three times in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings.
Hedlund hit a two-run single in the top of the 10
th inning as Wheaton gained a lead. However, the Vikings scored twice in the 10
th to tie the game.
Caleb Schauer drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 11
th inning to give the guests a lead, however, the Vikings tallied two runs in the bottom of the 11
th inning to win the game.
Wheaton travels to North Park next Wednesday for a matchup against the Vikings at 4:00 p.m.
