Box Score

MILLINGTON, Tenn.- The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team lost its opening game in the NCAA Division III Central Regional, 7-4, to top-seed Birmingham Southern at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn., on Wednesday (May 16).

Illinois Wesleyan slipped to 29-16 for the season and will play next at 12 p.m. Thursday against the regional's No. 2 seed Washington U. (28-13). The Bears lost an 11-5 decision to No. 5-seed Webster on Wednesday. During the regular season, IWU defeated Washington U. 2-1 on April 24 in Bloomington.

The Titans scored to open the game when leadoff hitter Mark McDermott singled to left center, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior catcher A.J. Nathan and, with two outs, scored on a single by sophomore Bobby Czarnowski.

Birmingham Southern (36-7) tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first and the Titans took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. With one out, junior second baseman Anthony Lopez singled to left center and went to third when junior shortstop Zach Scott reached on an error by the Panthers' first baseman. Lopez came in to score on a bunt by McDermott.

IWU claimed a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Czarnowski tripled with one out and scored on a ground out to short by sophomore centerfielder Jon Frericks.

The Panthers scored three times in the seventh and tacked on two more in the bottom of the eighth.

Senior righthander Joe Sweeney fell to 7-3 as he took the pitching loss for IWU, working 6 1/3 innings and allowing five runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Freshman righthander John Munyon allowed two runs, neither earned, on three hits with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.

Czarnowski finished with three hits for IWU while Frericks and sophomore designated hitter Johnathan Erickson each had two.