North Park 4, Illinois Wesleyan 2 - Box Score, Game 1

Illinois Wesleyan 7, North Park 4 - Box Score, Game 2

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Jeff Grodecki got three hits and drove in three runs as Illinois Wesleyan won the second game of a doubleheader, 7-4, to earn a split against North Park on a rainy Saturday afternoon, April 24. The Vikings took the first game, 4-2.

The Titans are now 14-15 overall and 8-7 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while North Park is 22-11 overall and 11-4 in the league.

IWU scored one in the second, three in the fifth and three more in the eighth in the second game, which featured a rain delay of one hour, 33 minutes in the North Park fifth inning.
With one out in the IWU fifth, Mike Morrissey singled through the left side and Casey McIntosh walked. After a strikeout, Kevin Sullivan singled up the middle to load the bases. Zach Scott was then hit by a pitch to bring home Morrissey and Grodecki singled through the left side to score McIntosh and Sullivan.
With one out in the eighth, #E.J. Schiller singled to left center and Marc North# reached on an error by the second baseman, sending Schiller all the way to third base. North stole second before Morrissey singled up the middle to plate Schiller and send North to third. McIntosh grounded out to shortstop to score North and Ryan Hopp doubled to center field to score Morrissey.

Alex Tosi (3-3) faced and retired four batters to earn the win in relief of starter Brent Kulavic, who struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings.

Grodecki and Morrissey each had two hits in the first game, basically a pitcher's duel between Jason Pankau (6-1) and the Vikings' Pete Sparacino (6-1). Pankau scattered 10 hits and struck out six while walking one and allowing two earned runs as the Titans made five errors behind him.
Sparacino also pitched a complete game, allowing eight hits with two runs, striking out six and walking three.

Illinois Wesleyan hosts Division I Illinois State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27 as Commerce Bank presents the annua Horenberger-Bass Classic. Admission will be free.