BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team lost a pair of 10-inning games to North Park at Horenberger Field on Wednesday, April 25, falling 6-3 in the opener and 6-5 in the nightcap.

The Titans are now 19-14 overall and 9-10 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with five league games remaining. The Vikings improved to 10-6 in the league and 15-16 overall.

In game one, junior starter Nick Brune allowed six hits, three runs (two earned), and three walks while striking out six over nine innings pitched. Freshman Eric Bennes (2-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing two earned runs and recording just one walk.
Illinois Wesleyan struck first in the third inning, scoring one run following back-to-back bunt singles from sophomore centerfielder Nick Figus and senior Jake Stewart. Figus finished the game 4-for-5 from the leadoff slot.
North Park tied the game in the fifth and took a 3-1 lead over the Titans in the sixth.
An RBI double from senior Gino Cavalieri followed by an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Garrett Shea knotted the score up at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth.
A wild pitch got the Vikings their go-ahead run in the top of the 10th and the Vikings would eventually padded on two more to earn a 6-3 advantage.

In game two, senior Mike Plecki had three hits while Stewart and Shea each had two with Shea delivering a pair of doubles and two runs batted in. The Titans posted two runs in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead before the Vikings struck for three runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5. North Park scored the go-ahead run in the 10th on an errant throw after a force play at second base.
Freshman Nick Watson (2-3), the third of four IWU pitchers, got the loss in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Starter Joe Prestamer pitched the first five frames, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan goes to Monmouth College for a nonconference game on Sunday, April 29, at 1 p.m. ... The Scots are 18-10-1 ahead of a set of back-to-back doubleheaders against Illinois College on April 26 and April 28.