Elmhurst, Ill. - The Wheaton baseball team swept a CCIW doubleheader at Elmhurst College (4-11/0-5 CCIW) on Tuesday afternoon at Butterfield Park. Wheaton topped the Bluejays 13-7 in the opener and the Thunder won 15-4 in the nightcap.
Wheaton is now 13-6 on the year and 3-2 in CCIW. Wheaton will start a three-game series with Illinois Wesleyan on Friday at 6 p.m. when the Titans visit the Thunder at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream. The series will conclude in Bloomington on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader.
Wheaton earned a 13-7 victory in today's opener as the Thunder scored 13 runs, on 15 hits, with no errors and Elmhurst plated seven runs, on 11 hits, with five errors. Thunder senior Trey Martin had a sensational effort in the game as he collected five consecutive hits, including two home runs and two doubles. Martin was 5-for-6 in the game, with eight RBI and three runs scored.
Each of the 10 Wheaton players that earned an at bat in the game collected at leas one hit. Thunder starting pitcher John Schmitz worked five innings, allowing four runs, on five hits, with four strikeouts and one walk. Miles Veth (2-0) picked up the win in four innings of relief. Veth (PICTURED LEFT) allowed three runs, on six hits, with two strikeouts and one walk.
Elmhurst scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Bluejays added another run in the bottom of the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Wheaton's first run of the game came in the top of the third inning as Martin hit a RBI-double to left centerfield to drive in Matt Schappell and cut the Bluejays' lead to 3-1. Elmhurst added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead.
Schappell led off the top of the fifth inning with a walk and Martin followed two batters later with a two-run home run to left centerfield that cut the hosts' lead to 4-3. Wheaton gained its first lead in the game in the top of seventh inning as Martin blasted another two-run home run to give the guests a 5-4 advantage.
The Thunder scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning as Wheaton increased its advantage to 11-4. The high-scoring inning was highlighted by RBI-doubles by Jake Portugal and John Jensen-Johnson (PICTURED RIGHT) and a two-run double by Martin. Elmhurst added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wheaton added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning as Martin hit a RBI-single in the inning and Jensen-Johnson drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
Wheaton picked up the 15-4 victory in the nightcap as the Thunder offense emerged from a 7-4 lead after seven innings with an eight-run inning in the top of the eighth to emerge with the win. Wheaton scored 15 runs, on 21 hits, with three errors and Elmhurst plated four runs, on 10 hits, with one error.
Thunder freshman Daniel Bayer (1-1) earned his first collegiate win in five innings of work as the starting pitcher. Bayer allowed four runs, including one earned run, on nine hits, with six strikeouts and one walk. Tom Bishop worked two innings of relief, allowing one hit. Casey Moll pitched one hitless inning, allowing two walks, withe one strikeout.
Kyle Mellinger (PICTURED LEFT) was 4-for-5 with pair of doubles as the shortstop drove in two runs and scored three times. Jensen-Johnson was 3-for-5, with a double, three runs scored and two RBI. Portugal was 3-for-5, with a run scored and a RBI. Justin Swider was 3-for-6, with two runs and two RBI. Martin, Johnny Peltz and Schappell each collected a pair of hits in the game as Martin hit a home run and Peltz added a double.
Wheaton took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Martin hit a two-run home run and Mellinger drove in a run with a double. Elmhurst scored a run in the bottom of the second inning and another in the third to cut the Thunder lead to 3-2. Wheaton increased its lead to 4-2 in the top of the fourth inning as Matt Ferretti hit a RBI-single.
Mellinger hit a RBI-double in the top of the fifth inning and Portugal (PICTURED RIGHT) added a RBI-single to increase the Thunder lead to 6-2. The Bluejays cut the Wheaton lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a pair of Elmhurst runs. Wheaton added a run in the top of the seventh inning a Johnny Peltz sacrifice fly extended the Thunder advantage to 7-4.
The Thunder offense exploded for eight runs in the top of the eighth inning. Taylor Howe hit a two-run double in the inning, while Jensen-Johnson and Swider each hit two-run singles. Martin and Peltz each added RBI-singles in the inning.