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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The defending champion Illinois Wesleyan baseball team opened the NCAA Division III regional with a 3-2 win over No. 3-seed Thomas More as senior Jason Pankau won his career-record 25th game as a Titan. IWU plays Buena Vista on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Horenberger Field.

The Titans improved to 27-16 with the win and Pankau is 8-2 as he allowed 10 hits in a 144-pitch outing. Thomas More fell to 28-8 this season and will play Ripon at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The win raised IWU's overall NCAA postseason record to 20-16 in its ninth appearance and the Titans have won nine of their last 10 NCAA games over the past two years.

Pankau is now 25-5 in his career for an .833 winnng percentage and the mound victory eclipsed the old record of 24 career wins held by Adam Palmer, who was 24-15 from 1998 to 2001.
Pankau struck out seven Saints and extended his career strikeout record to 256 in his four seasons. He also improved to 6-0 In his last six postseason starts with 51 1/3 innings pitched, 39 strikeouts and only seven walks and 53 hits.

Illinois Wesleyan scored the game-winner on an unearned run with no hits in the ninth. Junior rightfielder Kevin Sullivan led off with a walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop Zach Scott. After a flyout to the second baseman, senior centerfielder Ryan Hopp hit a ball to Saints shortstop David Kennett, who threw the ball wildly for an error that allowed Sullivan to score.

Pankau worked out of a ninth inning jam to win the game. With one out, A. Clements singled to left field and Brandon Nutini was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. But the Titan righthander induced Kennett to hit the ball back to the mound to start a 1-6-3 double play and end the game.

The Titans got on the scoreboard with two in the sixth with two outs. Sophomore Kevin Callahan blasted a home run over the high rightfield fence, followed by a single by freshman designated hitter Bobby Czarnowski, who went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by junior leftfielder Mark McDermott.

But Thomas More tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Nutini singled down the leftfield line and went to second on a ground out. Jason Handley doubled down the leftfield line to score Nutini. Sam Schmeltzer grounded out to move Handley to third and Andrew Thole walked. Ryan Darner then singled through the right side to score Handley.

Aaron Carmack pitched the first seven innings for Thomas More and allowed two runs on five hits but David Etschied (6-2) was the hard luck loser as he pitched the final two frames and allowed the one unearned run on no hits.