BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team fell behind early and could never recover in a 9-5 loss to Augustana College at Horenberger Field on Monday, May 2.

The Titans are 19-16 overall and 11-7 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Vikings improved to 24-12 and 12-6 against the league. With three games remaining in the league season, IWU is in third place, two games behind North Central (13-5) and one behind Augie (12-6).

IWU fell behind by two runs in the top of the first and trailed 4-2 after four innings before Augustana put up three in the top of the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. Freshman starting pitcher Nick Brune (4-2), one of seven Illinois Wesleyan pitchers, was touched for four runs in 1 1/3 innings on five hits with a walk and a hit batsmen.

The hitterish Vikings outhit IWU, 16-6, took advantage of three Illinois Wesleyan errors and left 15 runners on base. Titan senior first baseman Matthew Mardis got a pair of singles with a run batted in and sophomore leftfielder Mike Plecki delivered the Titans' only extra base hit, a two-run double to right centerfield in the sixth inning. Freshman Jonathan Broadbear also provided a run-scoring single in the sixth as the Titans got to within two at 7-5.

What's Next?
The Titans entertain Monmouth College in a nonconference game at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3 at Horenberger Field ... The Fighting Scots are 18-16 this season and have won eight of their last nine games ... Last season Illinois Wesleyan won at Monmouth, 6-3, on April 29 as senior Adam  Seifert picked up the pitching decision and Jarrod Juskiewicz went 4-for-4.