UPLAND, Ind. -- Indiana Wesleyan University baseball dispatched No. 3-seed Spring Arbor (Mich.) in a 10-9 victory that started Monday in Huntington and finished on Tuesday in Upland. Indiana Wesleyan will need to win two in a row vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) on Wednesday to advance to the championship game of the Crossroads League Tournament.

Game Vitals

• Tournament:  Crossroads League Tournament
• Score Game 2:  Indiana Wesleyan - 10   |   Spring Arbor - 9
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan 34-23   |   Spring Arbor 19-22
• NAIA Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan - Not ranked   |   Spring Arbor - Not ranked
• Location:   Winterholter Field   |   Taylor University   |   Upland, Indiana

What Went Down

• The elimination game started on Monday at Forest Glen Park in Huntington, Indiana. Rain suspended the game after four innings and play resumed at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at WInterholder Field in Upland, Indiana.
• Spring Arbor jumped out to a 3-0 lead following one inning.
• Indiana Wesleyan responded with five run in the top of the 2nd inning for a 5-3 lead. All the action in the inning happened after the first two Wildcats were retired.
• Conner Lengerich dropped a fly ball with the bases loaded as three Wildcats came around to score on the play. Craig Nesselhuf (SR/Littleton, Colo.) was next up to bat and he hit a 2-run home run for the 5-3 lead.
• SAU scored once in the bottom of the 2nd inning but Indiana Wesleyan scored two more in the top of the 3rd for the 7-4 advantage. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch allowed Caleb Birkey (SR/Granger, Ind.) to score and catcher Jonathan Newman threw the ball away trying to make a play which allowed Thomas Sautel (FR/Littleton, Colo.) to score all the way from second base.
• The Cougars scored single runs in the 4th and 5th innings to close to within 7-6. Then they took advantage of two IWU errors in the 6th inning to score twice for an 8-7 lead.
• In the 8th inning, IWU loaded the bases with one out and once again the Wildcats scored on a wild pitch to tie the score 8-8.
• Andrew Breytenbach (FR/Palatine, Ill.) hit an RBI single to put Indiana Wesleyan ahead 9-8 and Caleb Birkey knocked in another would-be important insurance run for a 10-8 lead.
• SAU did score once in the 8th inning for a 10-9 score but they went down in order in the 9th as Indiana Wesleyan pulled out the victory.
• Brandon Shaffer (JR/Albuquerque, N.M.), Craig Nesselhuf, Andrew Breytenbach, and Caleb Birkey all had two hits for the Wildcats, who were outhit 14-11.
• Indiana Wesleyan used five pitchers to collect the win. Caleb Eder (FR/North Vernon, Ind.) pitched the final 3.0 innings and earned the victory. He allowed one unearned run on two hits and no walks with four punch outs.
  
   

Next Time Out

• Indiana Wesleyan advances in the Crossroads League Tournament to the final round of their four team bracket. They will play Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) on Wednesday and will need to defeat them twice to advance to the league championship game.