BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Despite trailing 15-3 after five innings, Illinois Wesleyan University baseball mounted a late-game rally against College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival North Park University Friday evening, March 28. The Titans ultimately fell 15-10, dropping to 7-9 on the season and 0-1 in the CCIW, while North Park improved to 5-12 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Junior Nathan Waterman (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) made his first collegiate start on the mound, striking out one and ultimately taking the loss. Relief efforts from sophomore Caleb Martinez (Wheeling, Ill.-Wheeling) and freshman Michael Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) followed. M. Gurgone, in particular, provided a strong performance, tossing five innings and collecting six strikeouts.
At the plate, senior Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) led the offense, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs, and four runs scored.
The Titans finished with 10 hits, compared to North Park's 15, while committing three errors to the Vikings' two.
The game began on a high note for the Titans as Gadomski hit a 364-foot home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1. However, North Park responded with eight runs in the second and third innings to take a commanding 9-1 lead.
Illinois Wesleyan began to chip away at the deficit. Senior Cade Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) reached base with a walk in the third, and with him on first, senior Tyler Woltman (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton) blasted his first home run as a Titan, a 325-foot shot down the left-field line to narrow the gap to 9-3.
North Park extended its lead with three more runs in the top of the fourth (12-3), and a three-run home run in the fifth made it 15-3.
However, the Titans were not done yet. In the bottom of the seventh, Gadomski launched his second home run of the game—a 403-foot blast—to pull the score to 15-4. That marked the first time in Gadomski's career that he hit two home runs in a game.
Illinois Wesleyan kept pressing in the eighth. After Tomhave was hit by a pitch and Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-St. Laurence) singled, Woltman walked to load the bases. Sophomore John Phillip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) then hit a single to right field, bringing home Gurgone and Tomhave, cutting the score to 15-6.
The Titans continued to rally in the eighth. Junior Jack Flagg (River Forest, Ill.-River Forest) singled to left, followed by a Vikings fielding error that allowed freshman Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) to reach base. Freshman Ben Ford (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley) walked to load the bases again, setting the stage for Gadomski. The senior delivered a clutch double down the left-field line, scoring both Flagg and Hudik, narrowing the score to 15-8.
Tomhave kept the momentum going with a single down the left line that scored Ford. Although J. Gurgone grounded out in the next at-bat, his ball in play helped Gadomski cross home plate, pulling the Titans within five at 15-10. The comeback stalled there though, as IWU came up empty in the ninth.
The Titans and Vikings will face off once more on March 29 in Chicago, Ill. The game will take place at North Park's Holmgren Athletic Complex, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
