MARION, Ind. -- A spot in the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament comes down to one game for the Indiana Wesleyan University baseball team on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Indiana Wesleyan and Saint Francis split the first two games Tuesday night in the MCC Tournament Play-In Series which is a best-of-three format. IWU won the opener 12-6 and Saint Francis forced game three with a 7-2 victory.
Things looked bleak early for Indiana Wesleyan in the opener as Saint Francis held a 6-0 advantage in the fourth inning. But IWU roared back and scored 12 unanswered runs for the 12-6 win.
The Wildcats compiled six runs in the fourth inning, with everything happening with two outs in the inning. The two out rally opened with three straight singles and then a hit batsman loaded the bases with a 6-1 game. Rightfielder Derek Freds quickly unloaded them with a three-run double to close the gap to 6-4.
Shortstop Ben Zachary and first baseman Kyle Beachy followed with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the score at 6-6. Second baseman Brice Davis then nearly left the yard but had to settle for a double before the inning came to a close with a groundout with two men in scoring position.
Indiana Wesleyan would follow that inning with a two run fifth, once again beginning the rally with two outs.
Centerfielder Quinn Nofziger singled down the leftfield line and promptly stole second base. Catcher Alex Ridlen reached base on an error to keep the inning alive. Peter Engle pinch ran for Ridlen and stole second base as Nofziger and Engle would score on a single by Freds for the eventual winning run.
The Wildcats added insurance runs with two runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings. IWU outhit Saint Francis 16-to-6 in the contest.
Nofziger and Freds shared the spotlight in the 12-run outburst. Nofziger finished 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, one RBI and a stolen base while Freds ended 2-for-5 with a double, five RBIs and a stolen base.
Starting pitcher Jeremy Worrell was very strong throughout a majority of the game. After allowing five runs in the fourth inning, Worrell held Saint Francis scoreless for the final five innings for the complete game win. He gave up six hits and two walks while striking out 10.
The Wildcats looked to clinch the best-of-three series in the doubleheader nightcap and led 1-0 until fourth inning. The Cougars tied the score 1-1 in the fourth and captured the lead for good with a three-run fifth inning. USF added two more in the sixth for a 6-1 advantage and earned the split with the 7-2 victory.
Nofziger hit 2-for-4 at the plate with a stolen base and Freds hit a solo home run. Leftfielder CJ Sandmann was 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Tim Zeigler was the losing pitcher as he allowed six runs - three earned - in 5-2/3 innings pitched. Michael Caley pitched well in relief surrendering a single run in 3-1/3 innings.
Game three will be played at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5 at Wildcat Field. The winning team will advance to the six-team MCC Tournament which will be played at Indiana Wesleyan on May 8-11.
Box scores: Game 1 | Game 2
