McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team faced a challenging game against North Central College on Tuesday evening, April 8. The Titans, holding a record of 12-11 overall and 5-3 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), were narrowly defeated by the Cardinals, who now stand at 12-13 overall and 6-2 in the CCIW. Illinois Wesleyan was edged out in a thrilling extra-inning contest, with a final score of 6-5.

Pitching for IWU, Junior Jake Pullam delivered six innings, striking out seven batters, with two strikeouts coming from looking pitches. Freshman Cole Benson took over in relief, contributing three innings with four strikeouts. In extra innings, pitchers junior Luke Costello and senior Luke Schwab took the mound, with Schwab ultimately being tagged with the loss.  

On the offensive side, senior Justin Gadomski led the Titans by going 3-for-5, hitting three doubles, and driving in three runs. Senior Jimmy Gurgone also showed strong performance with a 2-for-5 outing, including driving in one run. Overall, the Titans secured ten hits through the game, including an impressive tally of six doubles.

The contest remained scoreless until North Central took the lead in the third inning with three runs. IWU narrowed the gap in the fourth inning when Gadomski doubled and was driven home by sophomore John Philip Ferraro. The team further shrunk the lead with Gadomski and Gurgone contributions in the seventh inning.

Tying the game at 3-3 came in the ninth inning, with freshman Ben Ford scoring after being walked and advanced by a wild pitch. Freshman Matt Hudik hit a double that brought Ford home. However, North Central struck back in the 10th inning, scoring three runs to make it 6-3.

The Titans capitalized in the bottom of the 10th with Gadomski, Tomhave, and Morelli each hitting consecutive doubles, reducing the deficit to 6-5. Unfortunately, IWU could not secure an additional run, concluding the game with North Central holding a narrow victory.

The Titans will look to bounce back when they host Monmouth College at Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington on April 9, with the first pitch slated for 6 p.m.