NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan baseball team split a doubleheader at Indiana University Southeast Thursday afternoon. The games were moved up due to inclement weather. The Wildcats lost the first game 5-4 before picking up a 9-5 victory in the nightcap.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

 

• Location: New Albany, Ind.
  Records: IWU 3-2 I IUSE 3-7
  Game One Score: IUSE def. IWU | 5-4
  Game Two Score: IWU def. IUSE | 9-5
  NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - #14 I CU – Unranked

 

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

• Down 2-0 in the top of the second, a fielder's choice by David Pugh allowed MJ Stavola to cross home plate to make it a one-run game.
• Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Jake Thompson singled, swiped second and advanced to third but was left stranded.
• A three-run eighth inning by the Wildcats knotted the score at 4-4. Thompson singled in Quinn Willard and later scored on a wild pitch. Greg Vineyard scored after coming in as a pinch runner. He stole second and moved to third on an error before crossing home plate on a wild pitch.
• Jeff Pawlik and Thompson recorded two hits apiece. Thompson and Pugh each drove in a run while four Wildcats crossed home plate.
• The team totaled four runs on six hits in the game. 
• Drue Young tossed five innings and had three strikeouts. Grayson Knight worked three frames and had a strikeout in the loss. 

 

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

• Stavola's two-RBI single in the first frame propelled the Wildcats to the lead. Ty Mathews and Luke Roman scored on the play. Earlier, Mathews had a one-out triple while Roman reached on an error.
• Leading 2-1, the teams each plated two runs in the third and the home squad tied the game in the fourth with a solo run. Stavola's double plated Mathews and Roman once again came home for the two runs for IWU.
• The Wildcats took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth. Stavola singled and ended up on third on a single by Andrew Sinish. Two batters later, Caleb Engelsman drove in Stavola. Zach Green lifted a sacrifice fly and Engelsman eventually scored on a wild pitch for a 7-4 advantage. 
• Pawlik singled in the eighth and scored on a base knock from Green. Moments later, Engelsman crossed home on a sacrifice fly by Thompson. The home squad plated a run in the eighth but the Wildcats closed the door on a comeback attempt. 
• Stavola led the way with a three-for-four performance with four RBI. Engelsman added two hits while Engelsman, Mathews and Roman all crossed home plate twice.
• Brock Buckley got the start and worked four innings, striking out two. Tate Warner tossed two frames with a strikeout to earn the win while Caleb Olsen worked three innings and had three strikeouts for the save.

  

NEXT TIME OUT

 

• IWU returns to action Friday, Feb. 23 when the team hosts Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
• Links for tickets, video and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.

 

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