O'FALLON, Ill. - Strong starting pitching paired with timely hitting saw the Illinois Wesleyan University come out victorious against Greenville University Saturday afternoon, Feb. 29. The Titans doubled up the Panthers, 8-4, to improve to 2-0 on the year. Greenville fell to 0-8-1 with the loss.

Illinois Wesleyan cranked out eight runs on nine hits, led by a 2-for-2 showing at the plate from senior Nick Figus (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln Way North HS). He finished with two RBI, two walks, and two runs scored. Meanwhile, Greenville produced four runs on six hits.

Junior Hunter Simon (Verona, Ill.-Seneca HS) was solid in his first start of the season, throwing seven shutout innings and striking out five, while yielding just three hits. 

IWU put runs on the third, fourth, fifth, and eighth innings to give Simon all the run support he needed. Sophomore Brandon Skopick (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln Way East HS) singled to left center to score Figus, and a double off the bat of Dalton Fletcher (Athens, Ill.-Athens HS) brought Skopick home to give the Titans a 2-0 lead into Greenville's half of the third.

Simon stranded two in the bottom of the third, before a Blake Neibrugge (Watson, Ill.-Effingham St. Anthony HS) RBI double extended Illinois Wesleyan's lead to three.

The Titans tacked on two more in the fifth, as Charles Bischoff (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield Central HS) drew a leadoff walk and moved into second on a wild pitch. After Figus reached with an RBI double, he came around to score on Garrett Shea's (Decatur, Ill.-Warrensburg Latham HS) sac fly.

IWU added a few more insurance runs in the eighth, getting three runs on three hits to break the game open. Evan Ranneklev (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley HS) doubled to center to get things going, and Jeran Simpson (Wheaton, Il.-Wheaton Warrenville South HS) and Niebrugge followed with walks. With two on, Dan Cerniglia (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South HS) laced a single to center to load the bases for Bischoff, who smoked a two-run single up the middle. Figus completed the scoring with a sac fly to put the game at 8-0, in favor of the Titans.

The Panthers broke the shutout with a three-run seventh,and added another in the ninth before the Titans wrapped up the 8-4 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan wraps up opening weekend with an 11 a.m. first pitch against the University of Chicago at Windsor High School in Imperial, Mo.