Carol Stream, Ill. - Playing its first game at Lee Pfund Stadium in 672 days, the Thunder baseball team opened up its 2021 season with a 6-0 victory over Ripon College on Friday night. With the victory, the Thunder recorded the 1,000th win in program history. Wheaton now has a winning stroke of three straight wins in season openers. The Thunder will continue their weekend on Saturday with an 11 am game against Elmhurst before wrapping up the weekend at 5 pm against St. Norbert.

Kevin Champlin set the tone for the Thunder by throwing five shutout innings while surrendering just one hit and striking out seven Redhawk batters. Brendan Dyer earned the save, throwing the final four innings, scattering four hits, and striking out five. Offensively, the Thunder pushed across six run on 10 hits with one error. Ripon made two errors while collecting five hits.

The Thunder offense threatened in each of the first four innings starting in the first inning following Graham Core's one-out triple into the right field corner, but the Redhawks pitching staff was able to pitch out of trouble in each inning to keep the game scoreless. Wheaton finally broke through in the fifth inning after the Thunder loaded the bases with no outs only to have them unloaded on Sam Reichert's double to left-center.

Wheaton would add another two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Joe Klein led off the inning with a single and later scored on a wild pitch. Joel Pierce brought home the second run of the inning when his sacrifice fly plated Matthias Haggerty. Core's third hit of the night brought home Ben Weaver following Weaver's one-out triple in the bottom of the eighth inning to account for Wheaton's final run.

Graham Core paced the Thunder offense with three hits including a triple, three stolen bases, one walk and a run scored. Ben Weaver had two hits out of the leadoff spot including a triple, and scored two runs. Matthias Haggerty also scored two runs and Sam Reichert led the team with three runs batted in.