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Will Davidsmeier
ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO
7
Wis.-Oshkosh UWO 4-5
8
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 2-12
Wis.-Oshkosh UWO
4-5
7
Final
8
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
2-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Wis.-Oshkosh UWO 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 0 0 7 6 1
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 8 11 3

W: Shamhart, Cole (1-1) L: Ryan Richter (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Walks It Off Against UW-Oshkosh

Wolfe, Morelli record multi-hit games

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- A walkoff single in the 10th inning from sophomore Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) lifted the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team, 8-7, against University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Saturday, March 21, at Jack Horenberger Field. The Green and White improves to 2-12 on the season and 1-2 in extra inning games, as UW-Oshkosh falls back below .500 at 4-5.

Illinois Wesleyan went up 5-0 in the early innings but trailed 7-6 into the bottom of the eighth. Senior Gage Wolfe (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) leveled the score with an RBI single before Hudik's heroic effort in the 10th. A leadoff walk was followed by a sacrifice bunt and error, drawing the winning run to third as Hudik stepped to the plate with one out. After seeing a first-pitch ball, Hudik laced a single to center to bring home the runner and snap IWU's skid with a walkoff, 8-7, victory.

Wolfe had a dream all-around day, going 3-for-4 from the plate, along with six putouts and two assists in the field. He collected two RBI's with one coming on his first career home run in the sixth. Junior Luca Morelli (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Adlai E. Stevenson) had two hits, two RBI's, and scored a pair of runs.

Senior Will Davidsmeier (Virginia, Ill.-Beardstown) dazzled in his second start of the year. The right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Davidsmeier lasted a season-high six innings as he was yanked after letting up just one hit and three runs. He struck out one more than he walked, closing his outing with four punchouts. Davidsmeier was relieved by junior Caleb Martinez (Wheeling, Ill.-Wheeling), who lasted an inning and two-thirds. Martinez surrendered four runs on three hits and struck out a pair. Senior Cole Shamhart (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) earned the victory, keeping IWU afloat in the late innings. Shamhart did not allow a run and scattered two hits with a pair of Ks.

Davidsmeier danced into trouble early with a leadoff walk and a throwing error by himself, setting up runners at second and third with no outs in the opening inning. A strikeout of the cleanup hitter was out number one, and then a ground ball to sophomore third baseman Michael Gurgone (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) wound up a double play, as the sophomore touched third for the force out and shoveled the throw to first in time.

Illinois Wesleyan's bats were ready early. UW-Oshkosh retired the first batter of the game but the heart of the IWU lineup rallied to give Davidsmeier run support from the start. With the wind blowing out on a sunny day at Horenberger Field, sophomore AJ Weller (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) lifted a ball that carried over the left fielder's head for a triple. Senior Jack Flagg (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) followed Weller's hit with one of his own to drive in the first run of the game. A few batters later, Morrelli came to the dish, eager to add on more. The righty blasted a pitch down the left field line to drive in a pair of runs. 

The Green and White added more in the top of the second inning. A walk to Weller moved the line to junior John Phillip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest). With Weller moving on the pitch, Ferraro hit a high looping fly down the left field line that fell to score Weller from first to make it 5-0. 

Davidsmeier continued to dominate, setting down eight straight batters, starting in the third inning and lasting through the fifth. Through that span, he struck out three batters, all coming in a row, capping off the fourth and beginning the fifth inning. The senior suffered his first hit of the game in the sixth inning to the nine-hitter. As the order flipped to the top, a walk scored the first run of the game for UW-Oshkosh. A pair of wild pitches followed to plate the next two for UWO, as it pulled closer, 5-3. 

With UW-Oshkosh on the doorstep of a comeback, Wolfe lifted a 1-0 pitch to deep right field and carried over the elevated fence to make it 6-3.

The IWU lead would quickly dissolve after Wolfe's home run. UWO answered with a lead off home run of its own to make it 6-4. Two outs sandwiched a hit by pitch, but a single into left extended the inning. The next hitter attacked the first pitch and sent it over the right-center wall to give the visitors a 7-6 lead.

A lead off base hit from Morelli put the comeback train in motion as a sacrifice bunt from junior Patrick Carmody (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) moved him to second. Wolfe came in clutch again, delivering a line drive into right field to tie the game and bring home Morelli into the ninth.

In extras, Shamhart flirted with trouble as a lead off double looked like potential runs for UW-Oshkosh. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third base. With one out in the inning and the infield in, Oshkosh's Danny Connelly roped a line drive to a leaping Wolfe, who snagged it out of the air for out number two. Shamhart induced a ground ball to third to avoid the threat. 

The battle of the Titans will come to a close tomorrow, March 22, at Horenberger Field. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.
 
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