BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team used a four-run ninth inning to propel itself to an 11-8 comeback win over Illinois College, Friday, March 6, at the RussMat Invitational. The Titans improved their season record to 3-2 while the Blueboys dropped to 2-7.

Dalton Fletcher (Athens, Ill.-Athens) finished the game 4-for-6 with a career-high four runs batted in, with Brandon Skopick (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln Way East) and Nick Figus (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way North HS) adding two hits and an RBI each. On the mound, starter Quinn Gudaitis (Arlington Heights, Ill.-John Hersey) pitched six innings and struck out six batters while Matt Blaney (Tinley Park, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) earned the win after turning in two scoreless innings and striking out five batters in relief.

Illinois Wesleyan fell behind 4-0 after three innings before Blake Niebruegge (Watson, Ill.-Effingham St. Anthony HS) brought home Evan Ranneklev (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley HS) with a two-out single in the top of the fourth. The Titans got to within one in the top of the fifth with RBI from a Skopick single and a sacrifice fly by Jeran Simpson (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton-Warrenville South).

In the top of the sixth, Dan Cerniglia (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) and Charles Bischoff (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield Central) reached base on back-to-back at bats after being hit by pitches before Figus reached on an error, scoring Cerniglia. Skopick drew a walk, and Fletcher singled in Bischoff to give IWU the lead for the first time. Ranneklev hit a sacrifice fly to bring another run and made the score 6-4.

Illinois College fought back with a run in the bottom of the sixth and three in the bottom of the seventh. The next half inning, Fletcher batted in Figus to trim the score to 8-7 going into the ninth after Blaney threw his first scoreless inning.

The top of the ninth began for the Titans on a leadoff walk by Simpson, followed by Jack Schneider (Naperville, Ill.-Benet Academy) putting down a sacrifice bunt to move Simpson to second. Niebruegge reached on a walk, who would be replaced by Hunter Simon (Verona, Ill.-Seneca HS) as a pinch runner. 

With two outs and the Titans still trailing by one, Jared Mutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East HS), who entered the game as a pinch hitter, singled home Simpson to tie the game. Figus brought in the go-ahead run one batter later with Simon coming home. Fletcher added a pair of insurance runs getting Mutter and Figus home. Blaney would retire the Blueboys in the bottom of the ninth without allowing any runs to come across to seal the Titan win.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to action tomorrow versus Ursinus College, Saturday, March 6, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.