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Evan Hutson Running Against Millikin
Kodiak Creative
7
Winner Elmhurst ELMHURST 11-12, 3-4 CCIW
6
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 9-16, 3-4 CCIW
Winner
Elmhurst ELMHURST
11-12, 3-4 CCIW
7
Final
6
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
9-16, 3-4 CCIW
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Elmhurst ELMHURST 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 7 12 0
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 16 1

W: J.D. Knight (2-0) L: Banks, Dalen (5-1) S: Logan Leach (3)

5
Elmhurst ELMHURST 11-13, 3-5 CCIW
11
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-16, 4-4 CCIW
Elmhurst ELMHURST
11-13, 3-5 CCIW
5
Final
11
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-16, 4-4 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Elmhurst ELMHURST 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 5 13 2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 1 0 0 7 0 2 1 X 11 11 1

W: Costello, Luke (1-2) L: Eric Zbinden (1-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Splits Twinbill Against Elmhurst

Rubber game set for tomorrow at 11 a.m.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - In front of a fantastic crowd at Horenberger Field, the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team split its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader against Elmhurst College, Friday, April 14. After dropping a tight, 7-6, contest in the game, IWU welcomed a seven-run fifth inning in the nightcap to earn the 11-4 victory. After today's action, the Illinois Wesleyan's record now sits at 10-16 (4-4 CCIW), while EU owns a record of 11-13 (4-5 CCIW).

Game One: Illinois Wesleyan 6, Elmhurst 7
Elmhurst scored first, in the top of the first, with two a pair of runs to create the 2-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the first, senior Jalen Ping (Chatham, Ill.-Glenwood) and junior Louis Perona (Chicago, Ill.-Lane Tech) got things rolling with back-to-back singles. With Ping in scoring position, senior Ethan Burgh (Arlington Heights, Ill,-Prospect) laced a line drive single to left to generate IWU's first run of the contest, as Ping raced home to cut the deficit to 2-1. With two down, junior Evan Hutson (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) recorded the Titans fourth single of the frame. The base knock allowed Perona to scamper home as Illinois Wesleyan matched the Bluejays first-inning run total to tie the game at two.

EU retook the lead, 3-2, with an RBI single in the top of the second. Elmhurst added three runs in the fourth to take the 6-2 lead.

With two outs, and a runner on second, junior Jacob Cyrus (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) belted his first round-tripper of the season on a ball that found the trees in left field. With the four-bagger, the score stood at 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth, in favor of the visitors. 

The Elmhurst starter, followed by a reliever, along with freshman Jake Pullam (Palatine, Ill.-Palatine) settled in on the mound as the score remained 6-4 heading to the top of the ninth.

The Bluejays tallied an insurance run in ninth to push their advantage to 7-4.

After Ping walked, and then advanced to second on a ground out to first, Burgh came to the plate. Burgh barreled up and outside offering and drove a single to right center. The single allowed Ping to scamper home to cut the deficit to two, 7-5. With two down, sophomore Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-St.Laurence) notched a single to drive in Burgh. With the Bluejay lead cut to one, EU made a pitching change. 

With the tying run on third and the game-winning run on second, Elmhurst was able to get out of the jam with a popup to the second baseman to take game one by a final score of 7-6.

IWU out hit EU by a final tally of 16-12. Burgh paced the offense with his 3-for-5 day. Five other Titans recorded a two hit game one. Burgh and Cyrus each notched a pair of RBI.

Sophomore Dalen Banks (Springfield, Ill.-Springfield) hurled six innings on the bump. The sophomore surrendered nine hits and struck out three Bluejays. Banks suffered his first loss of the season (5-1).

Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 11, Elmhurst 5
EU cracked the scoreboard in the second on back-to-back doubles to take the 1-0 cushion.

Burgh, continuing his solid week at the plate, sent a leadoff triple to right center for IWU's first hit of the nightcap. With a runner on third, Cyrus produced an RBI, as he reached safely on an errant Bluejay throw, to knot the score at one all after two innings of action.

Elmhurst tagged IWU for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to take the 3-1 advantage.

The Titans welcomed a seven-run, five-hit, bottom of the fifth. Gurgone whacked a triple to right center that one-hopped the fence, to put IWU in prime position for a tally. After an impressive eight-pitch at-bat, junior Dino Biggers (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville Central) earned a base on balls to generate first and third for the Titan offense. Sophomore Tristan Figus (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) was on the receiving end of another walk to load the bases.

With the bases juiced, Bleker sprayed a single to center to move everyone up 90 feet. The single brought home Biggers to cut the deficit to 3-2. Ping, still with the bases loaded, earned a walk to push the tying run across. The walk warranted a pitching change from the Bluejay coaching staff.

However, the pitching change did little to slow down the Titan offensive attack. Burgh laced a two-run single up the middle to give IWU its first lead of the game, 5-3. Cyrus then recorded a double down the right field line to warrant another IWU run to make the score 6-3. The fun continued as Hutson secured another two RBI base knock to up the advantage to 8-3 as EU made another pitching change. After five innings of action, the Titans manufactured the 8-3 lead.

Elmhurst scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh. Illinois Wesleyan held the 8-4 cushion heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Again with two outs, this time in the bottom of the seventh, IWU tallied a pair of runs to expand their lead to 10-4. In the frame, Ping scored on a wild pitch and Gurgone drove in Cyrus. 

IWU manufactured an insurance run in the eighth to push their advantage to 11-4.

The Titan bullpen was able to shut the door for the 11-5 victory.

Elmhurst out hit IWU by a final tally of 13-11. Ping, Burgh, Hutson, and Gurgone each recorded two base knocks in the nightcap, while Ping, Burgh, Cyrus, and Hutson each drove in a pair.

Freshman Luke Costello (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) earned his first career victory out of the bullpen (1-2). Costello tossed four innings and fanned three Bluejays.

The Green and White will conclude the three-game set against Elmhurst, tomorrow, Saturday, April 15. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Butterfield Park in Elmhurst, Ill.

 
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