McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team faced Otterbein University in the opening game of the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, on March 9. The game concluded with a 13-7 victory for Otterbein, dropping the Titans' record to 3-4 while improving the Cardinals' record to 4-5.

Illinois Wesleyan fell behind early, allowing four runs in the first inning and another in the second, putting them at a 5-0 disadvantage. Junior Jack Flagg scored IWU's first run after hitting a single and advancing on errors by Otterbein's defense.

Illinois Wesleyan capitalized on further errors by Otterbein to close the gap. Senior Cade Tomhave reached base via a walk, and senior Tyler Woltman followed due to an outfield miscommunication error. A third baseman error allowed senior Jimmy Gurgone to get on base as well. Sophomore John Philip Ferraro walked with bases loaded, scoring another run for IWU and narrowing Otterbein's lead to 5-2.

Gage Wolfe then hit a crucial shot to right field with bases loaded, bringing home both Gurgone and Woltman. This brought IWU closer at 5-4 going into the bottom of the third inning.

Despite holding their ground defensively in the fourth inning, Illinois Wesleyan couldn't score during their turn at bat. However, they took a temporary lead in the fifth inning when Gurgone and Flagg scored following hits from sophomore Jack Novak and senior Tristan Figus.

Otterbein responded by tying the game at seven each by the end of the sixth inning before adding six more runs in subsequent innings. Illinois Wesleyan was unable to recover from this surge, resulting in a final score of 13-7 in favor of Otterbein.

Senior Justin Gadomski and Jimmy Gurgone both achieved .500 batting averages during this game; Gadomski went 3-for-6 while Gurgone went 2-for-4. The Titans finished with a total of 13 hits but committed three errors.

Next up for Illinois Wesleyan is a doubleheader against Baruch College scheduled for March 10 at Terry Park's Stadium.