JACKSONVILLE, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team opened its 2017 season with two one-run wins over Loras and Grinnell in games played on Saturday, March 4, at Lenz Field Jacksonville, Ill. Freshman Jake Stewart rapped a bottom of the ninth walk-off homer in the opener.

The Titans downed Loras 7-6 and defeated Grinnell in 12 innings by a 6-5 score.

Illinois Wesleyan banged out 14 hits in the opener with sophomore Jacob Houghton, junior second baseman Gino Cavalieri, senior shortstop Jarrod Juskiewicz, senior catcher Pat Mollo and freshman first baseman Garrett Shea each getting two hits.

The Titans trailed 4-2 after six innings before rallying with a run in the seventh and three in the eighth to take a 6-4 lead. But the Duhawks put together two runs on four hits in the top of the ninth before, in relief, senior righthander Brian Henry struck out one batter in the top of the ninth and became the winning pitcher when Stewart launched his homer with one out in the last frame.

In game two, IWU scratched across a run when Houghton led off and was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Ben Manski sacrificed Houghton to second and Mollo doubled down the leftfield line to bring in Houghton with the eventual game-winner.

Senior Sean Coonan turned in six innings of four-hit relief, allowing one run and striking out four. Senior Louis Acklin got the win, working the final three scoreless innings an striking out three.
 
What's Next?
IWU stays in Jacksonville for two more non-conference neutral site games on Sunday, March 5, playing Lawrence University at 10 a.m. and meeting the University of Chicago at 4 p.m.