McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team split a doubleheader against North Park University on Friday, May 3. The games were part of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) competition. Illinois Wesleyan now holds a record of 23-14 overall and 12-7 in the conference, securing third place for the upcoming conference tournament. North Park stands at 27-11 overall and 15-4 in league play.

In the first game, North Park secured a decisive victory with a score of 10-0. The Vikings took an early lead with two runs in the third inning and expanded it to six runs by the fourth inning. They sealed their win by adding four more runs in the eighth inning. Freshman Jack Novak managed a hit for Illinois Wesleyan, while senior Jacob Cyrus pitched four innings with three strikeouts but saw his season record fall to 1-2.

The second game saw Illinois Wesleyan edge out North Park with a narrow 5-4 win. The Titans started strong with an early run and maintained their lead until North Park tied it up in the fifth inning. In the ninth inning, key plays from John Philip Ferraro helped secure three crucial runs for Illinois Wesleyan, which proved vital as North Park scored twice more before falling short.

Junior Dalen Banks was credited with the win after pitching seven innings and recording five strikeouts, improving his season record to 6-3. Tomorrow's game between these teams has been rescheduled to start at 3 p.m., due to expected rain later in the day.