BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team lost a pair of games to No. 24-ranked North Central on Tuesday, May 1, falling 15-5 in the completion of a game suspended on April 10, and losing the regularly-scheduled game by an 8-3 score at Horenberger Field on Tuesday, May 1.

The Titans have a record of 20-16 overall and 9-12 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Cardinals wrapped up the CCIW title with the two victories and have a 19-2 league mark and are 24-9 overall.

Eight of the nine IWU position players hit safely as the Titans rapped out 14 hits. Senior second baseman Jake Stewart led the Titans with three hits while sophomore centerfielder Nick Figus, senior third baseman Gino Cavalieri, sophomore first baseman Garrett Shea and senior rightfielder Mike Plecki each had a pair of hits. Cavalieri had a double and Plecki hit the first home run of his college career.

North Central scored three in the second and took control of the game by tacking on five runs in the fifth inning coming on three home runs, two doubles and a single.

The first (partial) game of the day started with IWU trailing, 8-4, in the seventh inning after being suspended April 10 by darkness in Naperville. North Central piled on with one in the seventh and six runs in the eighth to walk-off with a 15-5 decision.
Cavalieri led IWU with three hits and two RBIs in the suspended game while Figus and Shea also had two hits each.

Junior Nick Brune (3-4), who started the game back on April 10, suffered the pitching loss in both games, lasting just one inning in the nightcap.

What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan plays a three-game CCIW series at No. 25 Carthage with a 6 p.m. game on Friday, May 4 and a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 ... The Red Men are 29-8 overall and 16-5 in the conference after a 6-4 win over North Park on Tuesday.