UPLAND, Ind. – The Indiana Wesleyan baseball team lost a 10-inning, 9-7 contest to third-seeded Saint Francis Friday evening in the Crossroads League Tournament. The loss snaps a four-game winning streak by the Wildcats.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

 

• Location: Upland, Ind.
• Records: IWU - 34-14 | USF - 36-15
• Game Score: USF def. IWU 9-7
• NAIA Top-25 Rankings: IWU - RV | USF - Unranked

 

 

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

• IWU jumped on top in the bottom of the first. MJ Stavola walked and stole second. After a walk to Luke Roman, Stavola scored on an error by the first baseman after a hit from Caleb Engelsman. Nick Wiley reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Roman to cross home plate.  
• The Wildcats struck for three more runs in the second inning. Trevor Vojtkofsky was hit by a pitch and Colin Yoder entered as a pinch runner. He trotted to second on a walk to Jay Tomes. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up 90 feet. Stavola's base hit to center field drove in Yoder. Greg Vineyard's single plated Tomes and Caleb Engelsman knocked in a run on a fielder's choice, propelling the home team to a 5-0 lead. 
• Saint Francis scored a run in the sixth and five in the eighth, taking a 6-5 lead.   
• The Wildcats bounced back in the bottom of the eighth. Carson Gibson was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Stavola drew a walk. A sacrifice bunt pushed each runner into scoring position and Luke Roman registered a single through the left side, knocking in Gibson. Engelsman's groundout plated Stavola for a 7-6 edge. 
• The visitors knotted the game in the ninth, forcing extra innings. USF plated a pair of runs in the 10th for a 9-7 advantage and held on for the two-run victory. 
• For the game, Stavola had two hits and two walks while scoring three times. Engelsman also had two RBI in the contest.  
• On the mound, Drue Young worked six innings and had four strikeouts. Will Eldridge had four strikeouts in 1.2 frames while Cam LaFuze notched 1.1 innings of work. Gibson Adema tossed the 10^th and had two strikeouts. 

NEXT TIME OUT

 

• The Wildcats return to action at the Crossroads League Tournament tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., in an elimination game against top seeded Taylor.
• Tournament bracket, live stats and video will be available at IWUWildcats.com.

 

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