WHEATON, Ill. – A dominant offensive performance in the top of the first inning propelled the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team to a 12-7 victory over Elmhurst University in the series finale on Sunday, April 6, at Pfund Stadium. The win improved the Titans' record to 12-10 on the season and 5-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, while Elmhurst dropped to 7-15 overall and 1-4 in league play. It marks the first time the Titans have swept EU since 2019.
Junior Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) earned the win after five solid innings to start. Sophomore Caleb Martinez (Wheeling, Ill.-Wheeling) and freshman Brennan Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) provided relief, with Martinez tossing one inning and striking out one batter, while B. Tomhave threw three innings, striking out three, and securing the save.
At the plate, senior Jimmy Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-St. Laurence) and junior Gage Wolfe (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) led the charge, each going 3-for-4. Gurgone contributed two runs, one RBI, and a double, while Wolfe added two RBIs, one run, and a two-bagger.
As a team, the Titans posted 18 hits, four doubles, and 12 RBIs in the game, displaying offensive firepower throughout the contest.
The Titans wasted no time jumping out to an early lead, as they racked up eight hits and scored eight runs in the top of the first. Senior Justin Gadomski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) opened the scoring with a single up the middle, followed by senior Cade Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) drawing a walk to put two runners on base. Gurgone then singled to left field, driving in Gadomski and moving C. Tomhave to second.
Sophomore John Philip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) kept the rally going with a single to right, allowing Gurgone to advance to third and C. Tomhave to score, putting the Titans up 2-0. Wolfe doubled down the left-field line, driving in Gurgone and advancing Ferraro to third. With a 3-0 lead, junior Jack Flagg (River Forest, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) followed with a double to left-center, bringing in both Wolfe and Ferraro to extend the lead to 5-0.
Freshman Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) kept the rally alive with a single to the left side, scoring Flagg, and senior Tristan Figus (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove) followed with a single to right-center, bringing Hudik home. The inning concluded with a double by Gadomski to plate Figus, giving the Titans an 8-0 lead before taking the field for the first time.
Elmhurst responded with a run in the bottom of the first, cutting the Titans' lead to 8-1. However, Illinois Wesleyan extended its advantage in the top of the second when Gurgone crossed the plate off a sacrifice fly by Wolfe, making it 9-1 in favor of the visitors.
The Bluejays made a push in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs to close the gap to 9-5, but the Green and White quickly responded, adding two more runs in the top of the third. Figus scored on a single by C. Tomhave, and Gadomski came home on a sacrifice fly from Flagg, making it 11-5.
Illinois Wesleyan tacked on one more run in the top of the fifth when C. Tomhave crossed the plate following a sacrifice fly by Ferraro. EU scored two more in the bottom of the sixth, but neither team managed to score again, as IWU would coast to a 12-7 win.
The Titans will return home for two midweek games, starting with a matchup against North Central College on Tuesday, April 8, at 5 p.m. Illinois Wesleyan will then face Monmouth College in a non-conference contest on Wednesday, April 9, at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill.
