McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team secured a win against Millikin University on Thursday, April 3, bringing their record to 9-10 and 2-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The game, held at the Workman Family Baseball Field in Decatur, Illinois, ended with a 7-2 victory for the Titans over Millikin, who now stand at 11-11 and 0-3 in conference play.

Junior pitcher Jake Pullam from Palatine, Illinois, played a crucial role in the win with three strikeouts over seven innings, earning his fourth victory of the season. In the bullpen, juniors Jack Flagg and Cole Shamhart each pitched an inning, with Shamhart securing two strikeouts.

Senior Tristan Figus from Arlington Heights led the offensive with three hits and two runs. Sophomore John Philip Ferraro contributed significantly with a home run and three RBIs.

Overall, IWU's offense collected 14 hits and maintained a solid defense, allowing only four hits from Millikin. The first two innings saw IWU aggressively take the lead, scoring seven runs. This momentum started with Figus’s single and was followed by Justin Gadomski's double, and Cade Tomhave's double that drove in both Figus and Gadomski.

Ferraro’s home run over the centerfield fence brought in two more runs, marking his third homer of the season. Additional contributions came from Tyler Woltman’s double and a sacrifice bunt by Gage Wolfe, which set up Ben Ford’s single to left-center, scoring Woltman.

In the second inning, IWU extended their lead with Gadomski’s single and an advancing sacrifice bunt by Tomhave, allowing Michael Gurgone and Ferraro to push the score to 7-0. Millikin managed to score once in the fifth inning and once in the eighth, but IWU effectively closed the game in the ninth.

IWU will face Elmhurst University in a series over the weekend of April 5-6. The Titans will play a doubleheader in Bloomington, Illinois, on April 5 and conclude in Elmhurst on April 6.