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JP Ferraro celebrates a bases clearing double against Elmhurst
Luigi Lam
11
Elmhurst EU 9-19
12
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-17
Elmhurst EU
9-19
11
Final
12
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-17
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Elmhurst EU 0 0 2 5 0 4 0 0 0 11 15 3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4 1 0 6 1 0 0 0 X 12 14 2

W: Addis , Cade (2-0) L: Robert Brenneman (0-1) S: Elliott, Brayden (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Bests Bluejays

Titans ride early lead to fifth CCIW win

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- Eleven early runs proved to be the difference, as the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team held on to defeat Elmhurst University, 12-11, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest Wednesday night, April 15 at Horenberger Field. The three hour and 42 minute contest boosted IWU's record to 10-17 and 5-4 in league play, while EU dipped to 10-19 (3-6 CCIW)

Sophomore flamethrower Brennan Tomhave (Pittsfield, Ill.-Pittsfield) earned his first career conference start going four innings with a stat line of seven runs, nine hits, and five strikeouts. Sophomore Cade Addis (Fairbury, Ill.-Praire Central) threw the next 1.2 innings, letting up the rest of the Bluejays runs on four hits with four punch outs. The combination of sophomore Luc Lawler (Naperville, Ill.-Benet), junior Caleb Martinez (Wheeling, Ill.-Wheeling), and freshman Brayden Elliott (Gibson City, Ill.-Gibson City-Melvin Sibley) shutout EU the rest of the way. Lawler threw one inning, striking out two with no hits, while Martinez pitched an inning and a third, allowing just one hit and a walk. Elliott slammed the door shut behind a flyout, strikeout, and groundout to earn the save.

The bats stayed busy for the second night in-a-row with sophomore Matt Hudik (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) leading the way with three hits and one run batted in. Junior John Philip Ferraro (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) tied his career-high with five RBI's. The power lefty added a pair of hits and scored two runs. Sophomore Ben Ford (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley) also tallied two hits with two RBI's. Elmhurst outhit IWU, 15-14, but stranded more base runners (16-12). The Illinois Wesleyan offense has produced 34 combined runs in this week's two wins.

Tomhave found himself in trouble early after some unlucky contact touched grass, as two straight hits set up runners on first and second. Another soft knock landed in the glove of senior Gage Wolfe (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington), but his flip fell short to second base to pack the bases loaded. With one out, Tomhave induced an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam.

After a 21-hit parade yesterday, the Titans' offense went back to work giving Tomhave a four-run cushion entering the second. The top of the IWU offense sparked the charge with the first five batters reaching successfully. Hudik singled up the middle followed by a sophomore AJ Weller (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) opposite single. Weller scooted into second on a throw to put two in scoring position. Ford lined a single into right to score Hudik, and a misplay by the right fielder brought home Weller with Ford ending up a third. Ferraro made it four straight singles with a line drive into center to make it 3-0. Junior Jack Novak (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) walked to keep the line moving for senior Jack Flagg (Oak Park, Ill.- Oak Park River Forest), who dropped a ball down the right-field line for a hustle double, extending the lead to 4-0.

Back at it in the second, Weller singled to right and moved to third on a hit-and-run that saw Ford execute a bouncing ball through the right side, setting up runners on the corners. Ferraro sent a high fly to the warning track but was tracked down by the center fielder, good enough to score Weller from third.

The Bluejays responded with a pair of runs in the top of the next inning. A lead-off walk was aided with a bloop single into left field to start the frame. Another single to left scored a run and a fly ball deep enough to bring in a run cut the Titans' lead to three, 5-2. Still on the prowl, EU strung together a two-out, five-run fifth. With a runner on first, a double to left-center followed by a double to right-center pulled Elmhurst within a run. A third consecutive hit tied the game at five and a two-run shot to left field boosted the Bluejays to a 7-5 lead.

More chaos came in the bottom of the fourth as Hudik lifted a sharp liner over a backpeddling center fielder who fell down, giving the speedster a leadoff triple. Weller worked a full-count walk and stole second to set up a Ford base on balls. With no place to put him, Ferraro hammered an 0-2 pitch off the monster in right to empty the bases with a bases-clearing double. After a free pass and a sacrifice bunt moved Ferraro and Novak up 90 feet, Wolfe grounded a sharp one-hopper to the second baseman who bobbled it and threw an inaccurate ball to first, bringing in Ferraro and Novak to cross the plate for an 11-7 advantage.

With IWU up 12-7, Elmhurst crept back with a four-spot in the sixth. Two walks led to an RBI single into right, and later a pair of two-out singles cut the Titan lead to 12-11. 

The Green and White entered the eighth with a one-run lead and Martinez on the mound. A quick out and a misplayed double set up EU offensively. On the precipice of scoring, Martinez dialed up a groundball dug out by Weller as he began a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat. Elliott entered the ninth for the second straight day and escaped a mini jam with two runners aboard to secure his second career save and a key conference win for Illinois Wesleyan.

IWU rides its two-game win streak into the weekend where a three-game series with North Central College awaits. A doubleheader with the Cardinals is set for a 12 p.m. start at Jack Horenberger Field Saturday, April 18. The series will wrap up with a single game Sunday, April 19 in Naperville, Ill. scheduled for 2 p.m.
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