UPLAND, Ind. -- Taylor (Ind.) University swept the Indiana Wesleyan University baseball team in a Saturday doubleheader in Upland, Indiana. Taylor won by scores of 5-4 in eight innings and 11-9.

Indiana Wesleyan drops to 14-12 in the Crossroads League while Taylor remains at the top of the standings with a 21-3 record. Overall, IWU is now 19-21-1 while Taylor improves to 26-12.

Craig Dollens began the day with a big two-run home run in the first inning of game one. The home run is the first of the year for Dollens.

The Trojans tied the score in the bottom of the second with two runs and then took a 4-2 lead in the fifth. But the Wildcats got a big clutch hit from Josh Ellis in the top of the sixth to tie the game 4-4. Ellis ripped a 2-out double that scored a pair and would send the game into extra innings.

Indiana Wesleyan failed to score in the visitor’s half of the eighth inning. Taylor would take advantage and lay down a successful squeeze play in the bottom of the inning to earn a 5-4 victory.

Only two of the five Taylor runs were credited as earned run to Bryant. He scattered 11 hits and two walks while striking out four in 7.1 innings. Phillip Lougheed had two of the five Indiana Wesleyan hits in the game.

Much like the first game, Dollens would put Indiana Wesleyan ahead with the first run of game two. Neither team scored through the first three innings but Dollens hit a sac fly to score Preston Fugita in the top of the fourth.

The lead did not last long as Taylor score twice in the bottom of the fourth. The see-saw action then had Brice Davis hit a two-run single in the top of the fifth. The next batter was Fugita who followed with an RBI single as Indiana Wesleyan grabbed a 4-2 advantage.

The Trojans responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-4 lead and chase starting pitcher Matt Blankenship. Relief pitcher Jordan Crabb did not fare much better in the inning as four more runs scored in the inning as the Trojans put up a seven on the scoreboard to lead 9-4.

Quinn Nofziger drilled a home run in the sixth inning for his second of the season. It was a 3-run home run that closed the deficit to 9-7 in favor of Taylor.

Jon Keesling came into pitch for the Wildcats in the bottom of the sixth. He surrendered two runs in the inning as the Trojans led 11-7. In the seventh, Indiana Wesleyan was able to get both of those runs back to cut the deficit to 11-9. Peter Engle hit an RBI single and later in the inning Jack Collingsworth, Jr. hit an RBI double. After the double, Taylor intentionally walked Nofziger to load the bases with two outs. But with the tying run on second base, Fugita grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.

The top four batters in the Indiana Wesleyan lineup accounted for nine of the team’s 11 hits. Brice Davis was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI while Nofziger, Fugita, and Dollens each earned two hits.

Indiana Wesleyan and Taylor will reunite once again on Tuesday in a second doubleheader. The games at Wildcat Field will commence at 5 p.m.