McLean County Times

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team faced a challenging game against Wheaton College (Mass.) at the RussMat Invitational, resulting in an 18-8 run-rule loss on Friday afternoon, March 15. This defeat ended IWU's four-game winning streak and brought their record to 8-4, while Wheaton improved to 2-3.

Wheaton took an early lead by scoring six runs in the first two innings, putting them ahead 6-0 by the third inning. Illinois Wesleyan struggled offensively in the initial innings, managing only two hits over four innings as Wheaton extended their lead with a four-run fourth inning.

The Titans found themselves trailing 10-0 going into the fifth inning. Senior Michael Passarelli from Chicago hit a pinch-hit double with two outs to right-center field. Junior Jimmy Gurgone from Mokena followed with an RBI single, but IWU was still behind at 10-1.

Wheaton added to their lead with two runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth inning, bringing the score to 18-1 by the seventh inning.

IWU's offense gained momentum late in the game, scoring seven runs on five hits, one walk, and two hit batters. Freshman Jack Novak from Mokena initiated this rally with a single. Sophomore Jimmy Martin from Western Springs and Passarelli contributed by getting on base through walks and being hit by pitches. Gurgone drove in Novak with a single up the middle. W Duff contributed an RBI groundout. Junior Justin Gadomski from Schaumburg hit a two-run double followed by Novak's RBI single and Martin's two-run single before their comeback attempt concluded at 18-8.

Junior Dalen Banks from Springfield started for Illinois Wesleyan on the mound and allowed nine hits during his time pitching. Despite giving up just one earned run, four errors negatively impacted IWU's performance.

Overall, Illinois Wesleyan achieved ten hits during the game compared to Wheaton's seventeen hits. Gurgone had a successful day going 2-for-2 with two RBIs; Novak went 2-for-3 contributing one RBI and one run scored; Martin and Gadomski each added two RBIs.

The Titans will conclude their trip to Florida tomorrow against University of Minnesota-Morris at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport at 9 a.m. ET.