Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Bloomington, IL - May 09 - NCAA Baseball: Illinois Wesleyan vs Carthage (G7) (Photo by Ashtin Elder/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
10
Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES 1-2
11
Winner Greenville GREENVIL 2-4
Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES
1-2
10
Final
11
Greenville GREENVIL
2-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES 4 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 10 14 1
Greenville GREENVIL 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 7 2 11 16 3

W: A. Moses (1-0) L: Ingold, Marshall (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Falls in Heartbreaker at Greenville

Titans slip in extras

GREENVILLE, Ill.- The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team fell in extra innings against Greenville University, 11-10, at Robert E. Smith Field Thursday, Feb. 19. After winning game one, the Titans fell in games two and three to slide to 1-2 on the year and Greenville improved to 2-4.

Junior John Phillip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) and senior Jack Flagg (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) combined for six RBI's on the day, each recording multi-hit games. After three hits today, Flagg's impressive series came to an end going 8-for-15, while driving home eight runs, and crushing two home runs. Out of the three hole, Ferraro snuck in two hits with three RBI's in four at bats. Sophomore Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) poured in three more hits following a four hit performance in game two. The centerfielder added an RBI and scored a pair of runs himself. The Green and White littered the hit column with eight-out-of-nine starters recording a knock for 14 total. The Titans totaled just three extra base hits but accounted for six base on balls.

Senior Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) earned the start for Illinois Wesleyan, stretching 4.2 innings and allowing two runs. Shamhart threw 89 pitches in his senior season debut accumulating six groundball outs, two flyouts and five strikeouts. He suffered six hits and allowed two free passes.

First out of the bullpen was senior Caleb Martinez (Wheeling, Ill.-Wheeling) who lasted 1.1 innings as he struck out two and did not give up a Panther hit. Freshman Myles Hammond (Lakewood, Ill.-Shelbyville) appeared in his first career game, relieving Martinez in the seventh. Hammond pitched the next two innings allowing zero runs, and recorded his first career strikeout in the process.

The scoring was started early by the Green and White, starting the game with four consecutive hits, plating four runs. Hudik singled and scored the game's first run on a sophomore Ben Ford (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley) hit. After a Ferraro single to left, Flagg continued his hot start to the season as he split the left center gap ending up at third with a two RBI triple.

After a scoreless first inning by Shamart, the Titans added more run support. Batting in the nine hole, sophomore Derek Ittner (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) flipped the lineup over to the top after he singled into centerfield. Hudik reached first thanks to a throwing error before Ford grounded into a fielder's choice. A hitter later, Ferraro rolled a grounder to short, scoring Ittner. With two outs in the inning, Flagg sent a drive to left field to tack on another run.

Shamhart continued his scoreless outing in the second and third innings as he sat down seven in-a-row before allowing two runs in the fourth. Shamhart suffered four hits in the fourth inning, but left two runners on after a strikeout ended the inning. Shamhart headed back out for the fifth inning and set the first two batters down on strikes before giving up back-to-back hits and walking the next batter to fill the bases. With two down in the inning, head coach Michael Kellar gave way to Martinez who got the first batter he faced to ground to second baseman sophomore Michael Gurgone (Mokenna, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) who slapped a tag on the baserunner for the inning-ender. 

After being held scoreless since the second inning, the Titans responded with two runs of their own. Ittner doubled with one out to right center to force a pitching change which immediately followed with a Hudik single. After a pop out by Ford, Ferraro answered the bell once more with a two-out two RBI single into right field scoring Hudik and Ittner.

Martinez breezed through the bottom of the sixth working in two strikeouts, but play was paused shortly after as Mother Nature struck lightning resulting in a 30-minute delay. Fresh out of the delay, Illinois Wesleyan put traffic on the base paths with sophomore AJ Weller (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) beating out an infield single to start the inning. The Panthers delivered a free pass and a hit by pitch as IWU tagged the bases loaded without the ball leaving the infield. With a pair of outs sandwiched between the free passes, Hudik hit a sharp ground ball to the first baseman who juggled it, but won the race to the base to escape the jam.

IWU tacked on another run in the top of the ninth to make it 9-2 heading to the bottom half. Flagg took the mound in the ninth to try and close the door, but after scoring eight unanswered runs to walk-off game two of the series, GU sparked another comeback tying the game at nine as seven Panthers crossed the plate. 

In extras, Flagg put a chopper over the pitcher's head to beat out an infield hit. Junior Luca Morelli (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Adlai E. Stevenson) bunted Flagg and Weller over to second and third before junior Patrick Carmody (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) earned first base after he was hit by a pitch. Ittner put together a quality at bat to draw a walk and bring home a run to give the Titans the lead, 10-9. Senior Marshall Ingold (Rochester, Ill.-Rochester) entered for the tenth inning, pitching in back-to-back days. Ingold fell victim to the loss as he gave up a leadoff single and a walk before Greenville walked it off for the second time in as many days.

Illinois Wesleyan will return home to enjoy a week off before crossing a few state lines into Memphis, Tenn. The Titans face Depauw University and Rhodes College in a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 28. First pitch with Depauw is scheduled for 10:30 p.m.

 
Print Friendly Version