MOLINE, Ill. -- Having produced many big scoring innings themselves this season, the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team was bitten by a 7-run inning in a 13-5 loss to North Central in the first round of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament at Swanson Stadium in Moline, Ill., on Thursday, May 12.

The Titans, the No. 3 seed in the tourney, has a record of 22-18 and the No. 2 seed Cardinals, ranked No. 13 in the latest Division III poll, improved to 30-8.

Illinois Wesleyan took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth when, with two outs, junior catcher Pat Mollo reached on an error, senior centerfielder Adam Glogovsky singled and both runners came home on a double to right by sophomore second baseman Gino Cavalieri,
But North Central erased that lead by sending 11 hitters to the plate in a seven-run, five-hit sixth inning. IWU committed two errors in the frame and the Cardinals scored all their runs before any were out.

Illinois Wesleyan junior shortstop Jarrod Juskiewicz had three singles in a 13-hit Illinois Wesleyan attack. Cavalieri, senior third baseman Matthew Mardis, freshman rightfielder Ben Manski and Mollo each had two hits and each had a double.

Sophomore starter Matt Banaitis (0-3) was the losing hurler, working five innings and allowing seven runs (four earned) on nine hits with a strikeout, a walk and a hit batsman.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan will play at 12 p.m. Friday against Carthage (19-21) in an elimination game in the tournament in Moline. The No. 4-seed Red Men were limited to four hits in a 3-0 loss to Augustana (28-12), the tournament's No. 1 seed.