McLean County Times

Freshman Matt Hudik delivered a decisive walk-off win for the Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team with a 14-13 victory over Wheaton College. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup on April 18 saw the Titans advancing to 17-12, with a 9-4 conference record. Meanwhile, the Thunder fell to 12-18 overall and 5-7 in conference play.

Junior Will Davidsmeier opened the game on the mound for IWU, pitching six innings. Seniors Brady Hartman and Luke Schwab, junior Nathan Waterman, and freshman Brennan Tomhave were also called from the bullpen. Schwab secured the win with 1.1 innings, increasing his record to 1-0.

The Titans' offensive efforts were led by seniors Cade Tomhave and Justin Gadomski, achieving 3-for-5 and 3-for-6 respectively, with both adding three RBIs and two runs each to their tally.

Illinois Wesleyan amassed 14 runs on 13 hits, opposed to Wheaton's 13 hits and four key errors. The first innings saw Wheaton take the lead, advancing 2-0 in the first and 5-0 in the second inning. Yet, a rally in the bottom of the second by the Titans tied the game at 5-5.

The Titans turned the momentum in their favor from the third inning onwards, where they continued to outpace Wheaton until a game-tying ninth inning 12-12 rally by Wheaton pushed the game into extra innings. Wheaton regained a short-lived advantage in the tenth, but Casey Swanson's right-field line drive tied it again, setting up Hudik's game-winning hit.

The teams will meet again for a doubleheader rematch on April 19 at Lee Pfund Stadium, Wheaton, Illinois, with the first game scheduled to start at 1 p.m.