Story by student-athlete Ryan Tillman

SEWANEE, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2017) - Despite scoring 11 runs and finishing with 11 hits, the Sewanee baseball team dropped an offensive shootout to visiting Wheaton, Saturday, at historic Montgomery Field, falling against the Thunder 13-11.

Wheaton was able to jump on opposing pitching early in the contest, leading Sewanee by a wide margin of 13-3 approaching the bottom half of the seventh inning. Tiger hitters showed resilience and grit, however, as the team fought back to produce eight runs over the next two innings. 

The valiant comeback effort by Sewanee would prove insufficient as Wheaton closer Nick Johnson settled in and thwarted any last efforts made at the plate. 

Wheaton was led by starter Michael McCraith, who confused Sewanee batters over five strong innings while relenting just two hits. McCraith battled against a sloppy defensive performance from his infield, as the Thunder committed an alarming six errors on the day. The Tigers took advantage of the miscues, using the momentum to spark rallies in the seventh and eighth innings.

Thunder centerfielder Nick Mailman continued to showcase his talent, going 4-for-6 at the plate while knocking in two runs and scoring three himself. Infielder Jacob Zeller was also impressive, recording five hits and driving in three. 

Sewanee saw timely offensive production from Drew Mancuso and Riley Brandvold, each being responsible for three and four runs, respectively.

After back-to-back losses, Sewanee will look to return to its winning ways with a 2:00 p.m. contest at Covenant, Tuesday.